After 20 years at a political standstill, the iconic images of Burma?s 1988 pro-democracy uprising have lost none of their immediacy..."BURMA imploded on August 8, 1988. Students and monks governed the country for months as millions marched through the streets, demanding democracy and an end to one-party rule. Economic mismanagement and the demonetization of the Burmese currency in 1987 finally forced many to come out in protest. The regime that had ruled the country for 26 years wasn?t wise enough to negotiate with the protesters but countered with brutal force, at a cost of many lives. Politicians, a new generation of student leaders and the general public joined forces in a movement for change that became known as the ?four eights? uprising. Its foundation coincided with the 50th anniversary of the ?1300 Movement,? the Burmese resistance against British colonial rule. This time, Ne Win was the public enemy No 1, inflaming popular anger still more with a speech in which he warned: ?If the army shoots, it has no tradition of shooting into the air. It will shoot straight to hit.? ..."