The Kachin State-based ABSDF (North) commemorated the 30th anniversary of the 1988 Uprising at its headquarters in Janghtung Lahkum Bum on August 8.

“Don’t keep saying that we have democracy now and the election has been held. [The Tatmadaw] is still keeping 25 percent [of the seats] in the parliament. Another thing is that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is…the National League for Democracy (NLD) has become the government now. What authority does it have? It has no authority. [The situation] is opposite from the world. The military is above and the government is below. As long as this continues, some of the elders said [we haven’t obtained our rights] due to the existence of the 2008 [Constitution]. We have been demanding them since the 88 Uprising and we still haven’t obtained them up to now,” Maj La Seng told the ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 88 Uprising.

During the ceremony held at the ABSDF (North) headquarters, which is located near the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters, Maj La Seng continued that the rights that have been obtained by the public now are only in the form of an appearance.

“The military dictatorship hasn’t been brought down yet. We still haven’t received genuine democracy. These military dictators show how much opportunities they have given. They hold 88 Uprising ceremonies as if our goal and democracy has been achieved. Even now, we still haven’t obtained any of the demands that have been made by the public during the 88 Uprising,” said Maj La Seng.

The total abolition of the military dictatorship, emergence of a multi-party democratic system, human rights, freedom of all oppressed multi-racial ethnic people, which have been demanded by the entire public, have not been achieved yet, according to him.  

In a statement issued by the ABSDF (North) on August 8, the organization called on the student army, which emerged from the 88 Uprising, political parties, and social organizations to review whether self-determination and equality and establishment of a federal union, which have been fought for and demanded by ethnic people for seven decades, can be implemented.

Although the ABSDF has signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) because it believes it is the starting point to genuine peace, it is facing difficulties under the 2008 Constitution.

“We chose the NCA because it was the right path for all ethnic resistance forces, but [the path] has been closed for us after the NCA was upheld by the military dictators. This is the nature. The public demands from the 88 Uprising can also be seen in this format now,” Maj La Seng said.

He expressed his desire to end the civil war, which has been raging in Myanmar for seven decades, and said that his organization will cooperate in order to immediately implement the federal democratic union, which has been desired by the entire people.

Formal messages from respective organizations were read during the 30th anniversary of the 88 Uprising ceremony.

Leaders and central committee members of the Kachin Independence Organization/Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA), officials from the Arakan Army, women organizations, and community elders and residents from the KIO headquarters in Laiza attended the ceremony.

The 88 Uprising is a historical day where monks, the public, students, and various races united to resist against the military dictatorship in order to bring it down. Many lives were lost on that day.