ABFSU

The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) () is a left-wing umbrella organization for student unions in Burma (also Myanmar). It has played a prominent role in the country's political history, particularly in the struggle for independence and democracy, often confronting various governments, from the British colonial administration to the current military junta.

History

The ABFSU has been on the front of resistance against numerous governments in charge of Myanmar for more than 70 years. From British Raj, State of Burma, Burma Socialist Programme Party, to State Administration Council.

Over time, the group's interests have changed numerous times. The roots of ABFSU extend back to the Burmese independence movement of the 1930s. In 1931, the Rangoon University Students’ Union (RUSU) was formed as a social organization by Aung San, the later military General and so-called ‘father of Burmese independence’, and, paternal father of 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1931, the Rangoon University Students’ Union (RUSU) was formed as a social organization. In 1935, Aung San and his colleagues U Nu (later the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Burma), Thein Pe Myint (later the General Secretary of Communist Party of Burma), Ba Swe (later the Prime Minister) and Kyaw Nyein (later the Deputy Prime Minister) became the leaders of the RUSU and led the second university students’ strike against British colonial rule.

In 1935, RUSU leaders led the second university students' strike against British colonial rule which was hampered by the Pacific War hampered. On May 8, 1936, the first students' conference was held in Rangoon. Organized by RUSU, it marked the formation of the All Burma Students' Union (ABSU).

During the in 1938, a major student strike led by the ABFSU and the RUSU decisively fought against colonialists, working in concert with a large-scale workers' strike. The revolution saw the tragic death of student leader Bo Aung Kyaw, and students were also among the who fell in Mandalay. Under the leadership of the ABFSU, student steel militias emerged in colleges across Burma. Members of these student militias later participated in the formation of the Burma Independence Army and the Burma Defence Army. The ABFSU also led the formation of student unions nationwide. On February 12, 1947, ABFSU leader Myoma Than Kywe joined Aung San and other ethnic leaders at the Panglong Conference as a representative of the ABFSU.

In 1951, the All Burma Students’ Union (ABSU) changed its name to the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) to represent all students in Burma. The ABFSU became active in campaigning for education reforms. During the Sixth Conference of the ABFSU in 1960, the so-called ‘five policies’, and ‘three flags’ of the organization were adopted, which has been fundamental in the creation of Democratic Centralism within the organization.

Burma's fledgling democratic process came to a halt in 1962 when General Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in which hundreds of protesting students were killed. The turbulent political situation since that time, characterised by kleptocratic, socialistic and paranoid authoritarian rule, has forced ABFSU and its members underground on a number of occasions.

Following military coup, university students began protesting against the new government. In response, Ne Win's administration quickly imposed repressive new dormitory rules on the student body. The students and their unions vehemently opposed these regulations, leading to protests that culminated in the 7 July Student Uprising on July 7, 1962. At that time, the student union leaders were Ko Ba Swe Lay as President of the RUSU and Ko Thet as President of the ABFSU. The military government completely abolished the legal status of both the ABFSU and the RUSU. Between 3:30 and 4:00 AM on July 8, the Student Union building was demolished with dynamite. During the rule of the military government led by General Ne Win, many ABFSU members and student leaders from across the country were imprisoned as political detainees and subjected to torture and exile, including being sent to Coco Islands.

In 1988, amid widespread civil unrest and mass pro-democracy demonstrations in Rangoon, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) publicly re-emerged under the leadership of prominent dissident Min Ko Naing (a nom de guerre meaning "conqueror of kings"). The organization played a key role in coordinating the nationwide protests that culminated in the 8888 Uprising.

During this period, ABFSU leaders held serious internal discussions to determine the future direction of the movement. They ultimately adopted a three-pronged strategy: maintaining semi-underground networks, establishing a political party, and engaging in armed resistance. In pursuit of these goals, thousands of students, youth, and intellectuals fled to border areas near Thailand, India, China, and Bangladesh. On 1 November 1988, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) was established on the Myanmar–Thailand border.

Since 1990, the ABFSU have thrown their support behind the National League for Democracy (NLD), Burma's foremost political party which won a landslide victory in the general election of that year. The generals were not prepared to hand over power, however, and instead chose to place the party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. Some within the ranks of Burma's student protestors have criticized the NLD for not implementing a strategy for taking control after the 1990 elections and, despite overwhelming support, allowing the Generals to continue acting with impunity.

During the 2007 Saffron Revolution, Kyaw Ko Ko emerged as a prominent student leader and played a key role in the re-emergence of the ABFSU. He was jailed several times for his involvement in the movement. After being released from prison, he became chair of the ABFSU following its re-establishment.

Kyaw Ko Ko, along with other senior student leaders such as Min Thway Thit and Phyo Phyo Aung, retired from the ABFSU, passing leadership responsibilities to a new generation of student activists. At the pre-student body conference held in Hpa-An in 2016, Thant Nyi Nyi Win was elected as chair of the ABFSU, while Wai Yan Phyo Moe was elected vice-chair.

On 20 July 2019, members of the ABFSU staged a protest at Yangon University during a visit by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The demonstrators presented four key demands: addressing frequent incidents of sexual harassment against female students, easing restrictive dormitory regulations, releasing students who had been arrested for participating in the recent "Seven July" march, and securing the release of Too Wai Yan, a ninth-grade student from Aung Thabyae village in Mandalay Region.

In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, the ABFSU has been highly active in anti-junta movements. From 2021 to 2024, over 60 members including vice-chair Wai Yan Phyo Moe, have been arrested, and 16 have died. In March 2024, the ABFSU held its 8th Congress, at which it expanded its Central Organizing Committee to include 21 members. The ABFSU staged protests and hung political banners in various locations. Some members joined anti-junta armed forces operating in the jungle, while others continued their political activism in exile, including in countries such as Thailand.

ABFSU's prominent leaders

Many of those associated with ABFSU over the years have been hugely influential in Burma's ongoing political struggles. However, their links to ABFSU made them increasingly ‘marked men’. Always the target of the military government, the leaders of the ABFSU are regularly imprisoned where they are beaten, tortured and denied medical treatment. Such human rights violations are s widespread in Burma today but, significantly, they appear not to have had the desired effect of permanently silencing or disbanding ABFSU or given Myanmar's Saffron Revolution, quelling the wider calls for democratic change.

Some of the notable individuals associated with ABSFU over the years are:

*Aung San ( Military General and known as the ‘independence hero’, father of the nation and paternal father to Aung San Suu Kyi)
* Ko Ba Hein (The founder of Communist Party of Burma)
* Ko Hla Shwe (the leader of 1938 Worker's Uprising)
*Min Ko Naing (1988) leader of ABFSU and Burma's leading political dissident
* Kyaw Ko Ko (2007) the President of ABFSU which was re-established in 2007 (during the Saffron Revolution)

References

External links

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*All Burma Federation of Student Unions

*YouTube - ABFSU anthem and photo gallery

{{DEFAULTSORT:All Burma Federation Of Student Unions
Student organizations established in 1936
Student organisations in Myanmar