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88 Generation Students to hold talks with president

The 88 Generation Students activists group is tipped to meet with president Thein Sein in the near future, said one of the organisation’s leaders Mya Aye.

“We plan to discuss the chronology of our country – the past 20 years we’ve been through and the future and ways to rebuild the country,” said Mya Aye.

“We’ll also urge him to stop the fighting in Kachin state and raise an issue with the land confiscations.”

The group has already met with Railway Minister Aung Min, leader of the government’s Union Peace Making Committee, and Thura Shwe Mann, speaker of the Lower House.

Mya Aye said although these meetings have gone well, the group claims that political activists are still subject to harassment by the authorities in Burma.

“It’s going well with [senior] government officials – there hasn’t been a problem – apart from one hiccup regarding the 7 July [commemoration]. They could have protected the kids who organised it if there was mutual trust, but I am sad to see it was blocked,” said Mya Aye, referring to the arrest of 20 activists on the 50th anniversary of the military’s crackdown on students in 1962.

He said the 88 Generation Students would urge President Thein Sein’s government to remain committed to national democratisation and reform.

Several of the group’s leading members first came to prominence for their participating in the 1988 uprising against Ne Win’s government and were later incarcerated.  After being released from prison,  the democracy activists founded the 88 Generation Students in 2005.

A majority of the group’s leadership was later jailed for participating in the Saffron Revolution in 2007 but was released from prison during an amnesty in January.

Since being freed, the 88 Generation Students have been travelling across Burma meeting with civil society groups and politicians.

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