Kachin Students Mark 21st Anniversary Of 8888 Uprising

Ethnic Kachin students marked the 21st anniversary of the "8-8-88 Democracy Uprising" in Burma today, fostered by Christian traditional prayer services in six different locations in northern Burma, said student activists. In the midst of tight security, Kachin university students held memorial services with Christian pastors in two different places in Bhamo, the second largest city in Kachin State; two different places in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State and two different locations on the Sino-Burma border. It was organized by the leadership of the All Kachin Students' Union (AKSU), the underground student organization based in Kachin State, student leaders said. Ethnic Kachin demonstrators in biggest Burma's Democracy Uprising in 1988. In each memorial service, the students prayed for the immediate and unconditional release of the country's democracy icon and Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as well as all other political prisoners in the country, said Awng Wa, former student leader of the ‘8888 Democracy Uprising’ in Kachin State, who organized the memorial services. The services were held secretly in Bhamo and Myitkyina for security reasons and each service had 10 to 30 students including Christian preachers, and pastors, Awng Wa added. The former Kachin student leader Awng Wa suggested to the public in Burma to unleash people's power like the student-led August 8, 1988 (also called 8888) democracy uprising in the country, which toppled General Ne Win and its Burma Socialist Programme Party. He said the people have to topple the ruling junta to usher in democracy in the country. He also suggested to all ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy organizations inside and outside Burma that democracy must he established in the country by collective power, not individual efforts. There should also be people's power. Awng Wa, who has also organized anti-junta movements in Kachin State said that students leading the biggest ever democracy uprising in the country could not usher in democracy because there was lack of cooperation between the demonstrators and ethnic armed groups. He also pointed out that the lack of unity among political opposition groups in the country held the military coup in the country which took deep routes since then. Awng Wa believes that only cooperation among all pro-democracy opposition groups and all ethnic armed groups along with people's power will help achieve democracy in the country.