Snapshots of Burma (Myanmar) in 1989

Design Observer has a slideshow of images of Burma in 1989 by William Drenttel. Snip from intro:

According to Wikipedia: 8888 Uprising was a national peaceful revolution demanding democracy that started on August 8, 1988, in Burma (now Myanmar), when university students started the initial demonstrations in Rangoon. The Uprising ended on September 18, 1988, after a bloody military coup by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Thousands, mostly monks and civilians (primarily students) were killed by the Tatmadaw (Burmese armed forces).

I spent a month in Asia in early 1989, and was fortunate enough to purchase an entry visa into Burma from Thailand. On February 24, 1989, my passport was stamped number 263, meaning the Burmese government admitted less than 300 tourists that month. Only four months earlier, the military regime had killed an estimated 3,000 civilians during the 8888 Uprising.

This slideshow of photographs from 1989 is dedicated to the people of Burma – as they again confront one of the most brutal regimes in the world.

Link.

Previously on Boing Boing:

  • Burma: 'net cut as brutal crackdown worsens
  • ABC reporter files from inside Burma via cellphone
  • Burma: internally displaced demonstrate in rural areas
  • Burma regime cracks down on protesting monks
  • First tourist snapshots from Myanmar (Burma)'s new capital
  • Elephant landmine survivors on the Thai-Burma border