09 August

A ceremony to mark the 31st anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy movement was held yesterday in Yangon. The ceremony was attended by Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, Yangon Mayor U Maung Maung Soe, Deputy Mayor U Soe Lwin the Deputy Speaker of the Yangon Region Hluttaw, member of the Yangon Region cabinet, students who participated in the movement, and the people.

The ceremony was held at 9 am in the Maha Bandoola Park in downtown Yangon, and the attendees observed an eight-second silence to pay tribute to those who fell in the democracy movements in Myanmar.

Afterwards, U Min Ko Naing from the 88 Peace and Open Society delivered the opening address, and U Mya Aye read out the six-point declaration of the 31st anniversary of 1988 pro-democracy movement.

At the ceremony, periodicals and cartoons published during the movement and photos of the movement from 31 years ago were displayed to the public.

Meanwhile, people laid wreaths outside the park to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the pro-democracy movements in Myanmar.— Zaw Gyi

(Translated by GNLM)