88 Generation Student Group
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The 88 Generation Students () is a Burmese pro-democracy movement known for their activism against the country's
military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...
. Many of its members were imprisoned by the Burmese government on charges of "illegally using electronic media" and "forming an illegal organisation". A number of Western governments and human rights organisations called for the release of group members on the grounds that they were
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
s.


8888 Uprising

The group takes its name from the
8888 Uprising The 8888 Uprising, also known as the People Power Uprising and the 1988 Uprising, was a series of nationwide protests, marches, and riots in Burma (present-day Myanmar) that peaked in August 1988. Key events occurred on 8 August 1988 and ther ...
, a series of student-led protests in 1988 opposing the military rule of
Ne Win Ne Win (; ; 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002), born Shu Maung (; ), was a Burmese army general, politician and Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma from 1962 to 1981. Ne Win was Burma's mili ...
. In September 1987, Ne Win voided most denominations of the
kyat The kyat ( or ; ; ISO 4217 code MMK) is the currency of Myanmar (Burma). The typical notation for the kyat is "K" (singular) and "Ks." (plural), placed before the numerals followed by "/-". Amounts less than K. 1/- are typically denoted w ...
without warning, causing many people to lose their savings overnight. Students who saved money for tuition fees were particularly affected. The announcement led to riots at several universities. The situation was further exacerbated by the shooting of protesting student Phone Maw in a 12 March 1988 clash with police. The protests continued to grow through August of that year, and on 8 August 1988 (8-8-88), a general strike began from which the uprising would later take its name. The protests culminated in the 1990 general election, in which
Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...
's opposition party the
National League for Democracy The National League for Democracy (, ; Abbreviation, abbr. NLD; Burmese abbr. ဒီချုပ်) is a deregistered liberal democratic political party in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It became the country's ruling party after a landslide victo ...
won 392 of 492 available seats.Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p611 However, the military refused to recognise the results, and continued to rule the country as the
State Peace and Development Council The State Peace and Development Council ( ; abbreviated SPDC or , ) was the official name of the Military dictatorship, military government of Burma (Myanmar) which, in 1997, succeeded the State Law and Order Restoration Council (; abbrevi ...
(SPDC). Following the coup, many future members of the 88 Generation Students Group were imprisoned for participation in pro-democracy activities, including
Min Ko Naing Paw Oo Tun ( ; born 18 October 1962), better known by his alias Min Ko Naing ( , lit. "conqueror of kings"), is a leading democracy activist and dissident from Myanmar. He has spent most of the years since 1988 imprisoned by the state for his op ...
,
Mie Mie Thin Thin Aye (, ; 1970 – 13 August 2018), better known as Mie Mie ( ), was a Burmese democracy activist who organized and led numerous anti-government protests. She was imprisoned three times between 1988 and 2012, and Amnesty International co ...
,
Htay Kywe Htay Kywe may refer to: * Htay Kywe (activist) Htay Kywe (, ) is a repeatedly-imprisoned Burmese pro-democracy activist who was considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. BBC News describes him as a key member of the 8888 Ge ...
,
Pyone Cho Pyone Cho (Burmese: ပြုံးချို); born Htay Win Aung; born 2 April 1966), whose name means "sweet smile" in Burmese, is an activist and former political prisoner, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Represen ...
, and
Nilar Thein Nilar Thein (, ) (born 4 March 1972) is a Burmese democracy activist and political prisoner imprisoned from 2008 to 2012 at Thayet prison in Burma's Magway Region. Amnesty International considered her a prisoner of conscience. 8888 uprising an ...
.


Founding and early activities

The 88 Generation Students Group was founded in 2005. An analyst for ''The Asia Times'' described them as "not a political party, but rather a movement comprising a generation of students who were active during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising". In October 2006, the group traveled the country, dressed symbolically in white, to gather signatures on a petition calling for the release of all Burma's alleged political prisoners. They delivered the resulting 535,580 signatures to both the SPDC and the United Nations. In November, the group organised a multi-religion prayer campaign to call for peace, help for the victims of recent flooding, and the release of political prisoners, and in January 2007, they called on Burma's citizens to write their complaints to SPDC Chairman
Than Shwe Than Shwe (; ; born 2 February 1933) is a retired Burmese army general who held influential positions within Myanmar's government. Serving as the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) from 1992 to 2011, he played a signifi ...
in a campaign called "Open Heart".


Role in Saffron Revolution

When rising fuel and commodity prices led to large protests in Yangon in August 2007, the 8888 Generation Students Group played a major role in organising protests. The largest of these rallies drew over one hundred thousand protesters, most notably a number of
Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimo ...
, giving the uprising the popular nickname "The Saffron Revolution" for the colour of their robes. As a part of the protests, the 88 Generation Students Group organised petition drives and prayer vigils calling for democracy. ''The New York Times'' described group member Mie Mie as "prominent in photographs and videos of the first small demonstrations", noting that she appeared in the shots "with her fist raised". Nilar Thein also organised a march of roughly 500 protesters. In August 2007, several key group members were arrested, including Min Ko Naing,
Ko Ko Gyi Ko Ko Gyi (, born 18 December 1961) is a Burmese politician and leading democracy activist. For his protests against the State Peace and Development Council, military government, he spent over 17 years in prison on multiple occasions between 198 ...
,
Min Zeya Min or MIN may refer to: Places * Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China ** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian * Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China * Min River (Fujian) * Min River (Sichuan) * Mineola (Amtr ...
, Ko Jimmy,
Pyone Cho Pyone Cho (Burmese: ပြုံးချို); born Htay Win Aung; born 2 April 1966), whose name means "sweet smile" in Burmese, is an activist and former political prisoner, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Represen ...
,
Arnt Bwe Kyaw ARNT may refer to: * Arnt (given name), a masculine given name * Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator The ''ARNT'' gene encodes the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator protein that forms a complex with ligand-bound aryl hydro ...
and Mya Aye.Glenn Kessler
U.S. Condemns Burmese Arrests Of 13 Dissidents: Sharp Increases in Prices Spur Protests
Washington Post, 23 August 2007
Others went on the run, including Mie Mie, Htay Kywe, and Nilar Thein. Htay Kywe was among the last to be captured, leading ''The New York Times'' to describe him as "Burma's most-wanted man". On 13 October, he was arrested at a rubber plantation along with fellow group members Mie Mie,
Zaw Htet Ko Ko Zaw Htet Ko Ko (, ) is a Burmese political activist. In 2008, he was sentenced an 11-year prison sentence for his work with the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students Group, and his detention was criticized by human rights groups including Amnesty ...
, Aung Thu and Hein Htet. Nilar Thein's long evasion of state security forces also received continuing international press coverage, as she had to leave her four-month-old daughter with relatives to hide safely. (Nilar Thein's husband, Ko Jimmy, had already been arrested). She was not apprehended until 10 September 2008, when she went to visit Ant Bwe Kyaw's mother.


Trial and international reaction

On 11 November 2008, Htay Kywe, Min Ko Naing, Ko Jimmy, Nilar Thein, Mie Mie, and nine other 88 Generation members were convicted of four counts of "illegally using electronic media" and one count of "forming an illegal organisation", for a total sentence of 65 years in prison apiece. Min Zeya reportedly answered the judge, "Only 65 years?", and Mie Mie reportedly shouted, "We will never be frightened!" The group's photographer
Zaw Htet Ko Ko Zaw Htet Ko Ko (, ) is a Burmese political activist. In 2008, he was sentenced an 11-year prison sentence for his work with the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students Group, and his detention was criticized by human rights groups including Amnesty ...
and other members were given sentences ranging from three to eleven years' imprisonment. The Burmese government also accused the group of plotting terrorism and of being influenced by foreign powers, alleging that a private
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
group had delivered the 88 Generation Students US$30,000 the previous year via a Western embassy. An SPDC spokesperson also reported that the US Embassy had helped Htay Kywe to avoid arrest.
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
condemned the sentences and named them
prisoners of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...
, calling for their immediate release.
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
stated its belief that the group members were political prisoners and called for their immediate and unconditional release, as did
Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an Military, armed force's Military personnel, personnel and Military technology, equipment, usually referring to ...
. The same year as their sentencing,
American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 pe ...
awarded the 88 Generation Students Group the President's International Democracy Award "for its commitment to the struggle for democracy and freedom in Burma". In November 2010, the nations of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain and the US submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations calling by name for Burma to release Min Ko Naing and other pro-democracy activists, among numerous other human-rights-related demands.


Imprisonment and reports of abuse

After the sentencing, the 88 Generation Students Group members reportedly faced numerous hardships in prison. In 2008, Mie Mie's health was said to be deteriorating as a result of her imprisonment, due to
spondylosis Spondylosis is the degeneration of the vertebral column from any cause. In the more narrow sense, it refers to spinal osteoarthritis, the age-related degeneration of the spinal column, which is the most common cause of spondylosis. The degener ...
,
arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...
, and an alleged lack of treatment for a heart condition. That same year, the US State Department warned that Min Ko Naing was reported to be at risk of blindness due to prison authorities deliberately withholding medical treatment. In January 2009, Nilar Thein's family heard second-hand information that she had developed a
peptic ulcer Peptic ulcer disease is when the inner part of the stomach's gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach), the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus, gets damaged. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while ...
and were concerned that her health might be deteriorating, and in December 2010, they reported that prison officials had barred them from seeing her, even to bring Nilar Thein's child for a visit. Htay Kywe's brother-in-law reported that Htay Kywe had lost weight in confinement, and was spending his prison term reading, meditating, and studying economics; Human Rights Watch stated that he was often kept in solitary confinement.


Release

On 13 January 2012 a number of 88 Generation activists were released as part of a wider prisoner amnesty. 88 Generation activists released included Min Ko Naing, Nilar Thein, Ko Jimmy,
Pyone Cho Pyone Cho (Burmese: ပြုံးချို); born Htay Win Aung; born 2 April 1966), whose name means "sweet smile" in Burmese, is an activist and former political prisoner, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Represen ...
, Ant Bwe Kyaw, Ko Ko Gyi, Mar Mar Oo, Thet Thet Aung, and others.


Response to Rohingya genocide

While 88 Generation activists have been lauded by western governments and organizations for their pro-democracy activism, some key members have been implicated in denying or defending acts of the
Rohingya genocide The Rohingya genocide is a series of ongoing persecutions and killings of the Islam in Myanmar, Muslim Rohingya people by the Tatmadaw (armed forces of Myanmar). The genocide has consisted of two phases to date: the first was a military crackd ...
(the ongoing persecution of Myanmar's mostly-
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
Rohingya The Rohingya people (; ; ) are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who predominantly follow Islam from Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Ro ...
minority), largely opposed by western society."Activists championed by rights groups have history of anti-Rohingya messaging"
24 May 2020, ''
Frontier Myanmar ''Frontier Myanmar'' () is a news and business magazine published in Yangon, Myanmar, owned by Black Knight Media Co. Ltd which also runs a content marketing agency called Black Knight Media Group. It operates an English language magazine, an Engl ...
,'' retrieved 1 June 2020
"88 Generation Peace and Open Society Stand by Govt on Rakhine"
13 September 2017, ''
The Irrawaddy ''The Irrawaddy'' () is a news website by the Irrawaddy Publishing Group (IPG), founded in 1990 by Burmese exiles living in Thailand. As a publication produced by former Burmese activists who fled violent crackdowns on anti-military protests in ...
,'' retrieved 1 June 2020


References


External links


Group profile
at BBC News {{Authority control Burmese democracy movements