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All Burma Federation of Student Unions

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The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) (Burmese: ဗမာနိုင်ငံလုံးဆိုင်ရာကျောင်းသားသမဂ္ဂများအဖွဲ့ချုပ်) is a left-wing umbrella organization for student unions in Burma (also Myanmar). ABFSU offers a source of information to the outside world, reporting regularly on the developments of the military government.[1]

All Burma Federation of Student Unions
AbbreviationABFSU
FormationMay 1936
FounderAung San
Founded atRangoon University
Websitewww.abfsu.org
Formerly called
All Burma Students Union

History

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ABFSU has been on the front of resistance against numerous governments in charge of Myanmar for more than 70 years. From British Raj, State of Burma, Burma Socialist Programme Party, to State Administration Council.[2]

Over time, the group’s interests have changed numerous times.

The roots of ABFSU extend back to the Burmese independence movement of the 1930s.[3] In 1931, the Rangoon University Students’ Union (RUSU) was formed as a social organization by Aung San, the later military General and so-called ‘father of Burmese independence’,[4] and, paternal father of 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.[5] In 1931, the Rangoon University Students’ Union (RUSU) was formed as a social organization. In 1935, Aung San and his colleagues U Nu (later the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Burma), U Thein Pe (later the General Secretary of Communist Party of Burma), U Ba Swe (later the Prime Minister) and U Kyaw Nyein (later the Deputy Prime Minister) became the leaders of the RUSU and led the second university students’ strike against British colonial rule. In 1935, RUSU leaders led the second university students’ strike against British colonial rule which was hampered by the Pacific War hampered. On May 8, 1936, the first students’ conference was held in Rangoon. Organized by RUSU, it marked the formation of the All Burma Students’ Union (ABSU). In 1951, the All Burma Students’ Union (ABSU) changed its name to the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) to represent all students in Burma.

ABFSU became active in campaigning for education reforms. During the Sixth Conference of the ABFSU in 1960, the so-called ‘five policies’, and ‘three flags’ of the organization were adopted, which has been fundamental in the creation of Democratic Centralism within the organization.[2]

Burma's fledgling democratic process came to a halt in 1962 when General Ne Win[6] staged a coup d'etat in which hundreds of protesting students were killed.[3][7] The turbulent political situation since that time, characterised by kleptocratic, socialistic and paranoid authoritarian rule, has forced ABFSU and its members underground on a number of occasions.[8]

In 1988, as calls for democratic change brought civil unrest and mass demonstrations to the streets of the capital Rangoon once more, ABFSU publicly re-emerged under the direction of leading dissident Min Ko Naing (a nom-de-guerre meaning ‘conqueror of kings’), where the group helped to coordinate waves of pro-democracy action, culminating in the 8888 Uprising.[9][10][11] Since 1990 ABFSU have thrown their support behind the National League for Democracy (NLD), Burma's foremost political party which won a landslide victory in the general election of that year. The Generals were not prepared to hand over power, however, and instead chose to place the party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest.[12]

Some within the ranks of Burma's student protestors have criticised the NLD for not implementing a strategy for taking control after the 1990 elections[13] and, despite overwhelming support, allowing the Generals to continue acting with impunity.

The main six basic principles of ABFSU are:

  1. National Liberation aka Anti-Imperialism
  2. Democracy
  3. Democratic Education
  4. Safeguarding Students' Right
  5. Peace
  6. Solidarity with International Students

ABFSU's prominent leaders

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Many of those associated with ABFSU over the years have been hugely influential in Burma's ongoing political struggles. However, their links to ABFSU made them increasingly ‘marked men’. Always the target of the military government,[14] the leaders of the ABFSU are regularly imprisoned where they are beaten, tortured and denied medical treatment.[15] Such human rights violations are s widespread in Burma today but, significantly, they appear not to have had the desired effect of permanently silencing or disbanding ABFSU or given Myanmar's Saffron Revolution, quelling the wider calls for democratic change.

Some of the notable individuals associated with ABSFU over the years are:

  • Aung San ( Military General and known as the ‘independence hero’, father of the nation and paternal father to Aung San Suu Kyi)
  • Ko Ba Hein (The founder of Communist Party of Burma)[16]
  • Ko Hla Shwe (the leader of 1938 Worker's Uprising)
  • Min Ko Naing (1988) leader of ABFSU and Burma's leading political dissident
  • Kyaw Ko Ko (2007) the President of ABFSU which was re-established in 2007 (during the Saffron Revolution)

References

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  1. ^ "BBC News - Asia-Pacific - Burma government arrests opposers".
  2. ^ a b "Brief History of All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU)". fmccb.tripod.com. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  3. ^ a b "Historic Student Union ABFSU Revived in Burma".
  4. ^ "Bogyoke Aung San of Burma (Myanmar)".
  5. ^ "Aung San Suu Kyi: Myanmar democracy icon who fell from grace". BBC News. February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015.
  6. ^ "Obituary: Ne Win". December 5, 2002 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ^ "SEVENTH JULY STUDENT MASSACRE « Burma Digest". Archived from the original on 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  8. ^ "Brief History of All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU)".
  9. ^ "Was Burma's 1988 uprising worth it?". August 6, 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  10. ^ "A New Generation of Activists Arises in Burma". July 20, 2008 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  11. ^ "ITV - John Pilger - 1988 Revolt". www.johnpilger.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  12. ^ "BBC NEWS - Asia-Pacific - Suu Kyi's house arrest 'extended'". 29 November 2004.
  13. ^ "A New Generation of Activists Arises in Burma". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ http://myamarnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/abfsu-aid-workers-remain-in-detention.html [user-generated source]
  15. ^ "The Burma Campaign UK: Min Ko Naing Action". Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  16. ^ "ဗဟိန်း၊ ကို - Google တွင် ရှာရန်". www.google.com.
  1. Facebook Page Of ABFSU - [1]
  1. Twitter Account Of ABFSU - [2]
  1. Telegram Channel Of ABFSU - [3]
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  • Facebook Page Of ABFSU - [4]
  • Twitter Account Of ABFSU - [5]
  • Telegram Channel Of ABFSU - [6]


  • All Burma Federation of Student Unions: [7]
  • Burma Campaign UK: Home
  • US Campaign for Burma: US Campaign for Burma
  • YouTube - ABFSU anthem and photo gallery: [8]
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