Students in northern Burma marked the 20th anniversary of the military coup in Burma today with a poster demonstration against the ruling junta also called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
Early this morning students pasted over 400 A-4 size posters in all quarters in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, Shadang Naw Awng, a student leader told KNG today.
Shadang Naw Awng said, the movement was launched by over 30 students and at least 15 posters were pasted in each quarter in towns such as Du Mare, Tatkone, Shatapru, Manhkring, Shwezet, Myothitgyi, Khemartiri, Yuzana, Min Yat, Myo Ma, Ayeyar, Aung Nan, Rambo, Shwenyaungpyin, Kyunpyinta, Kachinzu, Yangyi Aung, Lekone and Thidar, including on houses of government personnel like Chairman of Myitkyina District Peace and Development Council, Director of Township Municipal Office and head of Myitkyina Public Hospital in Ayeya quarter, quarter's administrative offices (Ya-Ya-Ka) and in university, colleges and high schools.
The posters have the following four points:
1. Immediately free all political prisoners
2. Quickly implement a political Tripartite Dialogue,
3 Fall of the SPDC - the military junta
4. Success of the democracy movement.
Student leaders said, the students' demonstration was an underground operation and was organized by the All Kachin Students Union (AKSU), the main organizer of students' movements in the state. The AKSU was formed before the September Saffron Revolution in Burma, last year.
The posters were pasted despite the high alert in the township sounded by military authorities since August.
According to Myitkyina residents, policemen have been monitoring the quarters and notice boards in every quarter had the warning "Beware spray-letter and poster demonstration."
The new Kachin State commander Maj-Gen Soe Win has threatened to take tough action against student activists who organized the poster demonstrators in the township once they are detained, local sources said.
Since August, only people in the administrative offices in different quarters' and area representatives have been authorized to tear and erase the posters and spray-letters against the junta by Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win, residents said.
The military junta then called the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) cracked down ruthlessly on student-led peaceful demonstrations demanding democracy in 1988. Over 3,000 demonstrators including a Kachin student Hprup Zau Nan were killed.
