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Make the gallant morale of March 16 endure forever

Editorial, Voice of the Peacock, Vol.2 no.2, March 1995

One is unable to differentiate nor discriminate the national liberation movement from the Student movement in Burma for they are related historically. The slogans coming out of classrooms, for the sake of national education movement, reverberated and struck the whole country in 1920, sounding the alarm for national liberation. This was the 1920 student movement which was later regarded as the introduction of the national movement and it ignited the fire for the national liberation. After that the students supported and encouraged the farmers struggle for the liberation of Burma led by Saya San in 1930.

In the 1938 Oil workers uprising (1300 Burmese year uprising), the students were in the fore front of the anti-colonist battles. Finally, the students by participating in the vanguard of the anti-fascist struggle in 1945 and also in the battles for independence in 1948, were able to achieve the complete independence.

The students with great conviction, also battled for democracy educational causes continuously in serial order in Burma history. They also struggled strongly against the military dictatorship in 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1987 and right up to the 1988 Democracy Uprising.

March 16, 1988 is a date the Burmese people will never forget. The battle that day against the military junta is a significant and most remarkable day amongst the student movements in the history of Burma.

We , the students of Burma were able to organize in solidarity at Rangoon University (main campus) and hold a strike against the BSPP's military dictatorship. We asked for BSPP Burmese military dictators to bring cahnges against those who were involved in the killing of two student leaders namely Phone Maw and Soe Naing on March 13, 1988, and to allow us to hold the funeral ceremony as the state funeral celebration. At the same time we also raised some demands to the Slorc to assure the rights of the students to have a chance to restablish the All Burma Federation of Student Union. The "White Bridge" became "the Red Bridge" stained with the blood of Burmese students. All the wall of the Insein prison were shaking and trembling with the students slogans.

We have made many sacrifices and paid a great price and suffered a great losses for our activities and movements during this period of time. We have passed through many sorrowful events and feel deeply hurt, but we still manage to raise the Burmese democraric flag high and keep our morale and courage intact. It is by maintaining this morale and gallent spirit that the Student Army, has been battling the military dictatorship.

We are still outstandingly fighting back our enemy, who are in higher material supply in every aspect, and still passing through many difficulities, beyond the deep curves and many angles, through the public support, unwavering perseverance and irreducible diligence, mature spirit and in solidarity.

At the present, our enemy, the Slorc, having separately organized the ethnic groups, according to their divide and rule policy, by making the sham peace offering individually and also sharing the Phak U Htauk democracy (British sponge hat democracy).

Recent fighting in Manerplaw and Kawmoora, and continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi convinces one of their insincerety toward implementation of democratic reform, genuine peace and national reconciliation in Burma.

All the ethnic groups who already had a cease fire with Slorc and wanted implement the border development programs with Slorc, as well as the ethnic groups still negotiating the cease fire, comprehend the Slorc ruthless deeds and realize the instability of cease fire with Slorc. It is very impossible even to imagine the genuine peace with self-determination and equality under the Slorc. The regional development programs have yet to establish even a good three feet wide small route for walking by foot. All the opposition groups as well as the entire population of Burma fully understand that Slorc is attempting merely for their self-interest to cling to state power rather than implement genuine peace reform and regional development programs.

The Manerplaw offensive has challenged all opposition groups and revolutionary forces by exposing Slorc's true face and real intent.

Our democratic forces and armed revolutionary forces have to continue to fight back our common enemy, the Slorc. Also needed are much broader organizing principles to continue to receive the international pressure for the release of all political prisoners including our national leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and for the transfer of power to the duly elected representatives of 1990 election.

All our colleages
Even though Manerplaw
We have many Manerplaws
We must try to have many more Manerplaws
Have a solidarity under the umbrella of DAB
and also raise our fighting peacock flag to the highest
endure our courageous spirit of March 16 forever.