Erstellt am: 8. 8. 2013 - 14:47 Uhr

Democracy and Poverty

Reality Check: the 25th anniversary of the Burmese Democracy Uprise PLUS the tragic human story behind the term 'austerity measures' in Greece.

Hypo Wai Tha

The “8888 Uprising”, 8th of August, 1988 in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma (also called Myanmar)

"8888"

For the hundreds of thousands of Burmese people who began demonstrations against the military government, calling for reforms back on August 8, 1988, today marks not only a 25th anniversary but a real triumph.

It is believed to be the first time authorities in Myanmar (another name for Burma) have acknowledged the anniversary of the country's pro-democracy uprising.
The popular uprising (made up largely of students who are now referred to as the "88 Generation") ended on September 18, 1988, with a military crackdown killing at least 3,000 people, and thousands of demonstrators were jailed.
Tony Cheng gave today's Reality Check host Steve Crilley an impression of this pivotal anniversary.

APA

A note on a tree reads 'Dimitris, we apologise not avenging your death', at the spot where a year ago an elderly man commited suicide by shooting himself, at Syntagma central square, in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens, Greece, 04 April 2013.

Austerity=Poverty=No Food=Political Tension/Tragedy

The 77-year-old retired pharmacist, Dimitris Christoulas left a note, in which he blamed the government and mentioned that he decided to kill himself because 'he does not want to be a burden to his children, he can't search for food in the garbage bins and he prefers to have an end with dignity".

The desperation felt by Mr. Christoulas back in April, is growing amongst, not only the poor but increasingly also amongst the Greek middle class. People strapped for cash are, like Mr. Christoulas, not prepared to scrounge for food in garbage bins and so they are lining up at one of the hundreds of food banks or soup kitchens prevalent in Greece now. Helena Smith, our correspondent in Greece, gave us some alarming statistics...