Myanmar citizens marked the 32nd anniversary of the ’88 Popular Uprising in downtown Yangon yesterday, remembering those who died in mass protests for democracy in 1988.

Students and former activists marked the 30th anniversary of the famed 1988 pro-democracy uprising with a low-key ceremony, dampened by social distancing and mask requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hundreds gathered in the square in front of the Sule Pagoda to pay their respects, many placing red roses in remembrance of those who died. Events were also held in other places around the country, including Mandalay.

After years of economic decline and a tightening clampdown on rights, student-led protests swelled into nationwide strikes and marches on August 8, 1988.

But troops rushed in to stamp out the movement, shooting protesters and locking them up en masse.

The number of political prisoners in Myanmar's fetid jails swelled while many fled the country into prolonged exile.

During the uprising, Aung San Suu Kyi - the daughter of independence hero General Aung San who had returned from England to care for her sick mother - was seen as a beacon of hope, giving rousing speeches to adoring crowds and maddening the paranoid junta.

She was placed under house arrest for a combined total of 15 years before being released in 2010 and leading her National League for Democracy (NLD) party to victory in the historic 2015 elections.

Myanmar now looks forward to the elections in November 2020.

Mizzima/AFP