Celebrating 20th Anniversary of ABSDF

Date: Nov.1, 2008 (Saturday)

Time: 6:30pm – 8;30pm

Place: Plant Recreation Centre (930 Somerset, Ottawa, Canada)

Organized by ABSDF 20th Anniversary Organizing Committee - Ottawa

All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) was founded at Wankha camp near Thai-Burma border on November 1, 1988, with 10,000 members who escaped the repression of the military regime in Burma.

For most Burmese dissidents in exile, ABSDF is important part of their lives and struggle. When the brutal crackdown escalated, student union leaders decided to continue the struggle in the following three ways:  1) to maintain underground networks inside the country; 2) to form a political party to engage in the political process ; and 3) to take up arms against the repressive  regime.

ABSDF works with underground network inside the country to make political contacts and to educate the people by producing and distributing materials in Burmese on federalism, human rights, and democracy, and by contributing to the Democratic Voice of Burma which broadcasts into Burma daily from Norway.

According to the latest record, 352 ABSDF members died in action, 395 wounded and 258 died from various reasons. Infighting caused the ABSDF to split into two groups in 1991 and it was eventually reunited in September, 1996.

 The ABSDF is a member of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) and Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB). It is also affiliated to the Asian Students’ Association (ASA), the International Union of Students (IUS) and the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY).

ABSDF Conferences and leadership:

1st Conference in Nov., 1988, elected Htun Aung Gyaw as chairman

2nd Conference in Dec., 1989, elected Moe Thee Zun as chairman

3rd Conference in Oct., 1991, elected Dr. Naing Aung as chairman

4th Conference in 1996, elected Dr. Naing Aung as chairman

5th conference, in Sept., 2000, elected Sai Myint Thu as chairman

6th Conference in April, 2001, elected Than Kha as chairman

7th Conference in 2003, elected Than Kha as chairman

8th Conference in Dec., 2006 elected Than Kha as chairman