Childhood hero gone 🤡💩

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On this day, 8 August 1988, thousands of people participated in a general strike demanding economic reform and democracy in Myanmar. The 8/8/88 struggle was referred to as the “Unfinished revolution” by the Myanmar Times and still holds a volatile place in public consciousness. In September 1987, Myanmar's military dictatorship of Ne Win's Burma Socialist Programme Party announced many currency denominations as worthless, which wiped out many people's savings. Then, on March 12, 1988, a fight outside a tea shop between students and government supporters led to the death of Ko Phone Maw, a student shot by security forces. Protests escalated, during which students were a strong force; the government responded by briefly closing all schools and universities. The opposition movement grew, particularly among medical workers, Buddhist monks, the housewives' union and more. Later in July, the long-ruling dictator Ne Win stepped down, but in reality still carried immense power. This failed to placate the movement, who proceeded with the general strike. Before the midnight of August 8, troops opened fire on protestors in the City Hall and other places in Yangon. By September, the government was in chaos as even some civil servants, police and soldiers had joined the movement. Citizens took up basic government tasks themselves, while student leaders and some politicians worked to draft their future visions.Finally, on September 18, the government installed a new military ruler, banned all protests and declared martial law. Soldiers began shooting unarmed civilians en masse. Some protestors threw items like Molotov cocktails and poisoned darts at police and officials in an attempt to fight back.In the repression, approximately, 3000 people were killed, 3000 imprisoned and around 10,000 activists had been forced to flee the country. Elections were finally held in 1990, which were won by pro-democracy candidates, so the military ignored the results.More info, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10777/8888-uprising * If you appreciate our work, please consider supporting us on patreon. Link in bio.