Mya Aye - Background of The Uprising

Background of The Uprising

On 27 June 2006 - the 18th anniversary of the founding of the National League for Democracy - the leaders of the opposition movement were arrested. On 2 October the remaining 88 Generation Students' group started the first-ever public campaign against the SPDC and gathered signatures for a petition calling for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

More than half a million people signed the petition despite being harassed by SPDC Kyant Phuts and their thugs. The signatures were later presented to the UN. Following this they organized a "White Expression" campaign and requested that people wear white clothes to protest against the SPDC. It was continued until the 44th birthday of Min Ko Naing on 18 October. On 29 October, they started a third campaign called the "Multi Religious Prayer Campaign" and requested that people again wear white clothing and hold candlelight vigils and prayers in temples, churches and mosques.

On 22 August 2007, a rare public protest over a sharp rise in fuel prices led to a wave of arrests by the Burmese junta. Those arrested included the senior leaders of the 88 Generation Students' group as well as members of other student and civil advocacy groups. Hundreds of demonstrators had taken to the streets to express their anger at the surprise increase in fuel prices. Natural gas prices have risen 500% and petrol and diesel prices have almost doubled, according to The Guardian. The rise has hit poor labourers particularly hard, swallowing up to half of their daily income.