7 July 1962 Rangoon University Massacre

7TH JULY TERROR IN BURMA

Jul 2nd, 2006 http://burmadigest.info/2006/07/02/7th-july-terror-in-burma/ Do you know the Students Union Building in Rangoon University campus was blown up by the regime 44 years ago? Do you know hundreds of students were killed 44 years ago? Do you know the Students Union is unlawful organization in Burma? Have a glance at the bloody massacre of innocent students in Burma 44 years ago and you will realize the tragedy of Burmese students and people under the brutal regime. You will know the students role in politics of Burma since the independence struggle until the current regime and how much they love their country, how much they love freedom and democracy, how much courageous they are and how they sacrificed their lives for their people and their country. Everyone around the world knows about the 7th July terrorist attacks in London last year, 2005. However, everyone around the world may not know about the terrorist attacks against university students in Burma on the same day in 1962. The 7th July massacre is the most inspired and tragic event that draw my attention about the students commitments for democracy and human rights. I still remember that day I was messing up with the box full of old journals, magazines and political books. I was about thirteen years old that time and I found a magazine published by the Rangoon University Students Union. Some photographs in the Polaris Burmese Library Collections
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7 July 1962 Rangoon University Massacre magazine caught my sight and those gave me severe pain in my heart. In one of the pictures, Rangoon University campus was surrounded by the armed soldiers as they were deployed in military operation. Just imagine that the university campus where students used to study peacefully turned to battlefield and the students became the enemies of the regime. Then, I continued reading about the machine gun fires stripped off the students-martyrs bodies and the dynamite ripped off the Union Building. Since then, I tried to find out about that tragedy and knew about a student survived the bloody oppression, who is a family friend. He had gone mad for some time after the massacre as he witnessed the event and luckily escaped because he hid in a toilet while other students were gunned down. However, he got the terrible trauma that led him mentally ill. I sincerely hope that you will be interesting in this particular event as it was the first terrorist attack against innocent civilians by the first military regime in Burma. Although, I am a Burmese, I could not collect further information about the students in politics, their actions and their lives as everything about the students movements have been totally black out in Burma. How unlucky we are! Nevertheless, I had the chance to know about these students actions as I was born in a family involved in politics. Although, I did have this opportunity to know about the students lives under the ruthless regimes, what about the young generation who never politics. know anything about the politics and students participation in Burma

Polaris Burmese Library Collections

7 July 1962 Rangoon University Massacre May be you already known or not. However, I strongly believe that we all Burmese have the responsibility to sharing the political knowledge and every details of the pro-democracy campaigns from last 44 years ago with the young generation, who can change the status quo of Burma, who can rebuild the democratic federal Burma. We have the responsibility to tell about this to the world. How military regime took power in Burma? Why students became the enemy of the regimes and how the education in Burma is neglected and collapsed? The educational institutions, the universities are the venues where the vital human resources are cultivated for the development of a nation. On the other hand, the students pursuing their studies in the universities are efficient, bright and consciously taking any duties for their countrys sake anytime. In the history of Burma, students and Students Unions are the basic foundation for the Independence Body as Aung San, father of (Daw) Aung San Suu Kyi, the architect of the Independence is a student leader who bring the Freedom to Burma. What about U Nu, the first Prime minister of the parliamentary democracy government? He used to be the Chairman of the Students Union. They can do anything what they want, they have the power to create anything for the country. Then, they became the most dangerous species for the regimes. Burma experienced the parliamentary democracy era for a short period after she achieved the Independence. However, she fell under the military regime led by General Ne Win, the predecessor of the SLORC and the SPDC regimes, on 2nd March 1962. Since the military coup, all the students and people across the country were frustrated Polaris Burmese Library Collections
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7 July 1962 Rangoon University Massacre and disgusted the control of military. As under the authoritarian regime, freshly independent Burma suffered the oppression bitterly and severely and the Rangoon University students faced the strict hostel rules and regulations which caused the 7th July demonstration. Rangoon University students experienced the introduction of human rights abuse by the regime and called for the rights and democracy. The spirit of the Fighting-Peacock (the symbol of the students) had been awaken and the students strike shocked the dictator, Ne Win as he knew very well that how much students could do so far and he could be kicked off by the peacocks. He, then, took care of the students demonstrations with bullets and dynamites and claimed that sword for sword, spear for spear . Just think of his words, we, students never follow violent ways to achieve what we want. We were never terrorists, we are never terrorists and we will never be terrorists. However, students who staged the peaceful protests without any weapons, not even a tiny needle had lost their lives under the bullet-rains. About 100 students were murdered on that very day of 7th July 1962 and the historic Students Union Building was blown up next day early morning with students hiding inside the building. The dictator might think that the peacock spirit was killed.Since after that historic bloodshed cleansing of students, all the students unions were abolished and the students union became unlawful organization in Burma. Nevertheless, the spirits of students full of courage and fond of human rights and democracy could never be killed and students will surely bring the democracy to Burma as students brought the Independence to Burma once. NAY YU Polaris Burmese Library Collections
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