1988 uprising a turning point in Myanmar: NLD

YANGON (Agencies) - Aung San Suu Kyi's party Friday hailed a 1988 pro-democracy uprising as a "turning point" in Myanmar's history, as activists silently mourned the movement that was violently crushed by the military.

"This anniversary marks an important historical turning point in Myanmar's politics. People will never forget it," Nyan Win, spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD), told AFP.

At least 20 people have been arrested in the Burmese town of Taunggok after staging a silent protest on the 20th anniversary of a major uprising.  They were detained after marching while wearing T-shirts which referred to the date of the uprising - "8/8/88".

August 8, 1988 - a numerologically important date known as 8.8.88 - marked the beginning of a student-led uprising that drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of cities and villages across the country.

The movement capped a year of student protests that resulted in the former dictator Ne Win stepping down in July 1988. With the government in turmoil, the August 8 uprising quickly spread around the country.

Soldiers opened fire to break up the crowds, but the unrest rumbled on for six weeks, until a group of generals staged a coup and reasserted total military control. An estimated 3,000 people were killed in the uprising.

No remembrances were planned to mark the anniversary in Myanmar, and heavy police security was seen around Yangon - especially around Shwedagon Pagoda - to ward off any protests.

A red scarf - a gift from his father - is the first thing that comes into Thar Nge's mind when he remembers the pro-democracy uprising in Myanmar that began 20 years ago Friday.

"I remember I was standing behind my mother while she offered water to people who were part of the mass movement. People loved seeing me with a red scarf embroidered with a peacock logo on my forehead," he recalls.

"I still hear my mother's voice saying, 'Get down, get down' She asked me to lie down when she heard gunfire. That still gives me a mental shock whenever I hear gunfire or a loud noise." His father, a university lecturer, fled into hiding to escape arrest for taking part in the uprising.

"I have hated soldiers ever since," he said.

"I didn't like the violence they used. I wanted to fight back when I saw the brutality to the monks and people," said 18-year-old university Ni Ni.

Meanwhile, protests were held in London, New Delhi and Tokyo to mark the anniversary of Myanmar uprising.

Some 200 demonstrators including many exiles from Myanmar rallied outside the Myanmar embassy in London on Friday to mark the anniversary of a nationwide pro-democracy uprising.

Shouting "Free Burma" the protestors, brandishing the red and yellow flags of the Myanmar Opposition, called for the release of political prisoners in the reclusive state.

Hundreds of Myanmar nationals and their supporters marched through Tokyo, calling for democracy in the junta-ruled nation. Activists called demonstrations in Tokyo and other major cities around the world to mark the 20th anniversary of the uprising, which the military crushed, killing more than 3,000 people. In those two decades, "the military regime has occupied the country for the entire time," said Lin Aung, vice-president of the National League for Democracy Japan Branch. "We will fight until the junta steps down."

Some 800 demonstrators marched to the Myanmar embassy in downtown Tokyo under the scorching sun, calling for the release of political detainees including NLD leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.In New Delhi, protesters shouted anti-military slogans during a demonstration to mark the occasion.