The general strike of 8-8-88 is in Burmese history doubly "ever-unforgettable": firstly, for its size and unity and, secondly for its bloody outcome when soldiers opened fire upon thousands of peaceful demonstrators in the heart of Rangoon. The army’s ferocity shocked the whole country: street protests and shootings continued in Rangoon and other towns for days.

On August 12, Sein Lwin resigned and, for a few brief weeks, Burma seemed on the brink of change. Free press publications appeared, strike committees and unions of students and workers formed, BSPP members resigned in droves, huge rallies, public addresses and debates took place throughout the country. In those weeks too, the dead were honored in commemorative ceremonies.

Members of the armed forces march in support of Demcracy On September 8, another general strike was called, and mass strike parades took place in Rangoon and other towns. Momentum gathered as some members of the armed forces and police began to join the demonstrators. On September 11 students began a 36 hour hunger strike in front of the Rangoon General Hospital (where on August 10 troops had opened fire on staff treating the wounded). On September 12, Aung Gyi, Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo wrote a joint letter to President Maung Maung stating that, given the rapidly deteriorating state of affairs and people’s total lack of trust in the government, an interim government should be formed. On September 13, a ceremony was held at Rangoon Institute of Technology in honor of Hpon Maw and Soe Naing, whose killing on March 13 1988 had sparked student protests and brutal retaliation by the security forces. Mass rally outside Rangoon General Hospital On September 15, student hunger strikers - together with crowds of supporters demanding the formation of an interim government - resumed their peaceful protest in front of Rangoon Town Hall where they were joined by the comedian Zagana and other celebrities. On September 16, huge crowds attended a ceremony to rename Inya Lake’s white bridge "red bridge". Wreaths were cast into the lake in memory of the students who had died. Two days later the SLORC seized power, unleashing further bloodshed and imposing martial law. Student manifesto and slogan		"Democracy means: the right to think freely, speak freely, write and publish freely, organize and associate freely" student manifesto