Context A nationwide uprising calling for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma was launched on August 8, 1988. As in other parts of the country, protests were organized in cities and towns in Kachin State and the Sagaing Division of Upper Burma. Local students who studied at universities in Rangoon and Mandalay were the driving force behind most of the pro-democracy protests in Moe Nyin, Moe Kaung, Bamaw, and Myitkyina in Kachin State; and Wuntho and Tha Kha in Sagaing Division.