The 19th anniversary of the Burmese military’s brutal suppression of a people’s uprising on August 8, 1988, will be commemorated this Sunday by Thai academics, writers, students and artists, plus Burmese political activists, representatives of ethnic groups, artists and migrant workers, The Nation reports.

The event, called “Burma in Diversity”, will discuss the developments in the country since the military’s crackdown on the nationwide pro-democracy protests, now widely known as 8-8-88.

“The people of Burma from all walks of life, including soldiers and policemen, marched through the streets of the country to demand political and economic changes and an end to the one-party or totalitarian rule,” said Zin Linn of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB).

Assoc Prof Thanet Aphorn-suvan, director of the Southeast Asian Studies Programme (SEA Programme) at Tham-masat University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts, said this year’s commemoration is unique in that Thailand is increasingly resembling Burma as it is also under the yoke of a military junta.

“Burma and Thailand are in the same paradox of democratic and constitutional development. Therefore, the lessons learnt will enable us to see the [Thai] problem from different dimensions,” Thanet said.

The SEA Programme is playing a key role in this year’s commemoration, in cooperation with Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (TACDB) and alliances working to promote peace and democracy in Burma.

“We do hope that civil society for Burma is growing and a constitution is developed for the time to come,” said Dr Laddawan Tantivitayapitak, president of TACDB.

The event will also provide an introduction to Burmese culture and offer discussions on comparative constitutional studies of the two nations.

Nipatporn Pengkhaw, editor of the Thai translation of the book “Twilight over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess”, will share her thoughts about her work from a cultural perspective.

“I do believe that people hate or dislike one another because they don’t know each other. I’ve been doing many studies about Burma, its people and cultures, and I believe these dimensions cannot be separated from politics.

“I hope that my work will help Thais from all social strata to have better understanding about people from Burma and their fate,” she said.

Kanjana Hongthong, author of “Miengmong Muang Mong” (Burma at a Glance), said Burma’s political problems might create a negative image of the country and its people, but those she had met during her visits there were different.

“Burma is a place in my own seven wonders [of the world], as well as its people,” she said.

The commemoration will be held from 1pm to 7pm at the building of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Thammasat’s Tha Phrachan campus.

Students of the SEA Programme and Burmese migrant workers will stage cultural performances and a special musical performance.