Today in Yangon, despite tight security measures, people commemorated the 37th anniversary of the 8888 Uprising through an umbrella protest movement. Despite the military’s heightened security presence and numerous patrol units, protesters across prominent locations in Yangon participated in a coordinated demonstration using umbrellas marked with the symbol ‘8’. The Yangon Public Strike Committee, four allied revolutionary groups from Yangon, and local residents joined forces in this anti-dictatorship movement. This protest action was carried out as part of the ongoing resistance against the military dictatorship.
From the 1988 Democracy Movement until today’s Spring Revolution, spanning 37 years, countless innocent civilians have lost their lives and properties under the successive military dictatorships’ violent oppression. The military dictators continue to brutally suppress, torture, and arbitrarily arrest citizens to maintain their grip on power. In response, the Yangon Public Strike Committee and the four allied revolutionary groups have called upon the people to completely uproot the fascist military dictatorship system. The military council has consistently used violence against its own people, forcing civilians into military service and maintaining oppressive control over the population.
Currently, the people of Myanmar continue their united struggle against the military dictatorship through various forms of resistance. Today’s umbrella protest serves as a symbolic action in the anti-dictatorship revolution, demonstrating the people’s spiritual strength and unity. The people’s struggle will continue until the complete elimination of the military dictatorship system. This commemoration of the historic 8888 Uprising reflects the ongoing determination of Myanmar’s citizens to achieve genuine democracy and freedom from military rule, despite the severe restrictions and threats they face from the military council.
