Commemorating 63 years since the ‘7 July Student Uprising’ in Myanmar

A rally was held to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 7 July Student Uprising in Busan, South Korea, on July 7. (Credit: MFDMC)

Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar and in the diaspora marked the 63rd anniversary of the “7 July Student Uprising” on Monday. On July 7, 1962, Rangoon University students were killed protesting against the then-regime leader Ne Win, who introduced stricter campus rules and an end to university self-administration.

“The 7 July is a symbol of students’ resistance against military regimes,” Khin Ni, a spokesperson of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), told DVB. The ABSFU was established in 1938 and it played a leading role in the fight for independence, which was achieved in 1948, and against military rule, which began in 1962.

Unofficial sources documented that the “7 July Student Uprising” resulted in the death of over one hundred students. Official accounts have only acknowledged 15 killed. The day after the crackdown, Ne Win ordered the demolition of the historic Rangoon University Students’ Union building, which has never been rebuilt.