25 years ago on Aug. 8, 1988 -- Student Uprising rocks military dictatorhip in Burma (NPR coverage of anniversary)

part of "All Things Considered" story - interviews - reflection by those then and now in Myanmar : Until about two years ago, Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the longest-running military dictatorship in the world. In 2010, the military began to loosen its grip on the country, increasing civil freedoms and offering some political and economic opportunity for citizens. But some are wondering whether the country can truly transition to democracy if it fails to reconcile with its brutal past. This week (August 5 - 9, 2013) marks the 25th anniversary of a violent chapter in the country's history: the nationwide democracy uprising of Aug. 8, 1988, and the harsh military crackdown that ended it. Despite being rich in resources, the country went into a long period of economic stagnation following a 1962 military takeover. "The government remained in power through fear. It reached the point where people were unwilling to even mention the name of the dictator," Ne Win, says Burt Levin, the American ambassador in Rangoon at the time. "In the summer of 1988, the population finally said, 'Enough is enough.' " Students began to voice their resentment over the economy and the government's wide restrictions on personal freedom. "We students had no hopes for any jobs after school," says Htay Kywe, an early student leader. "We were totally lost." A disagreement in a tea shop between university students and people linked to the government eventually grew into a student-led movement calling for democracy in the summer of 1988. ___________________________ www.npr.org ____________________________________"All Things Considered"