8888 Uprising 38th Anniversary Anti-Military Dictatorship and Anti-Myitsone Dam Project Protest Held in Hpakant

A protest rally against military dictatorship and the Myitsone hydropower dam project was held in Hpakant town, Kachin State, today (August 8) to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the 8888 democracy uprising. The activity was carried out at a location in the town by the Hpakant mining area tour protest group and local residents, despite tightened security checks by military junta forces within Hpakant town. Participants in the protest held signs with messages such as "Blood flowed in 8888, 8888 (38th) anniversary will end this spring," "We will not pass on this evil system to the next generation," "The unfinished 8888 people's liberation, let's rise together," "The 8888 Uprising 38th anniversary, the world has not forgotten," and "Freedom from Fear," and chanted slogans against the military dictatorship system. In addition, slogans such as "Revolutionary rebels are the government of the future," "Our government should listen to the voices of the people," "Let's all participate and cooperate to eradicate the military dictatorship system," and "Let's all participate in the revolution to ensure there is no military dictatorship system in the next generation" were also held. Local residents of Hpakant also expressed their opposition to attempts to restart the Myitsone hydropower dam project, which has been met with prolonged opposition and protests among the people across Myanmar. They demanded the immediate halt of the Myitsone project and also called for consideration of the opinions of local residents and the potential environmental impacts related to the project.