July 7, 1962 Incident

   Following the establishment of the Revolutionary Council (RC) by General Ne Win on March 2, 1962, the government imposed tight regulations on university campuses, which had been hotbeds of antigovernment activism. Adispute over campus curfews, in which a student was injured, led to a large demonstration on July 7 at Rangoon (Yangon) University. When the police failed to control the students, the authorities called in a Tatmadaw regiment, commanded by Sein Lwin and composed of ethnic minority Chins, who could be expected to show little sympathy for the mostly Burman (Bamar) demonstrators. The soldiers opened fire on the students, a shocking and totally unexpected act. According to official figures, there were 15 fatalities, although the actual figure may have been as high as several hundred. In the early morning of July 8, the Rangoon University Student Union building was blown up, allegedly on orders from Ne Win, although he accused RC member Aung Gyi of the act.