August 8, 1988
In what is known as the 8888 uprising, Burmese students begin protesting for a return to democracy and were joined Burmese citizens from all walks of life, including Buddhist monks. The demonstrations were peaceful and spread from the Burmese capital to other cities in Burma. As the numbers of protesters grew Burma’s military government leader Ne Win put military soldiers on the streets with orders, “That Guns were not to shoot upwards.” It is estimated that the soldiers killed more than 2,500 students and Buddhist monks before the uprising ended . (Burma was renamed Myanmar the next year.)
