Ko Ko Gyi

Over 14 year's imprisonment
(1991-2005)

Ko Ko Gyi was the Vice-Chairperson of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) who was imprisoned for nearly 15 years and is currently detained again by the Burmese military regime.

Address - 272, Thumingalar Street, 9 Ward, South Okkalapa Township,
Rangoon
Date of Birth - 18, December, 1961
Father Name - U Thaung Tun
Mother Name - Daw Myint Kyi
Education - Final Years, International Relation (In 1988)
Organization - ABFSU
Date of Arrest(First Time) - 10, December, 1991
Section of Law (First Time) - 10/A, 5(J)
Date of Released( First Time) - 17, March, 2005
Sentences - Life ( In 1993, by 1/93 his sentence change to 10 years)
Date of Arrest (Second Time) - 27, September, 2006

1985- 1988: First Year to Final Year student, Majoring International Relations and International Administration, Rangoon University, Burma
1986: Certificate of Higher Grade Practitioner of Law
1980- 1983: Diploma of Engineering, Majoring with Electronic Power, Insein Government Institute of Technology, Rangoon, Burma

In 1988, Ko Ko Gyi was a few months away from his graduation as a final year students at the Rangoon University.

On March 13, 1988 a peaceful student protest in the Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT) was brutally crushed down by the authorities and two students were shot to death by the riot police. To protest the unfair treatments of the authorities and demand for an investigation, many students from all over the country went to the peaceful strikes inside their school campuses. Ko Ko Gyi, together with many fellow student leaders, led the peaceful strike in the campus of Rangoon University on March 15, 1988. On March 16, 1989, he was among the students, who were beaten by the police on the main street, in front of the school, while they were attempting to march to the RIT. Although Ko Ko Gyi has escaped from the attack, about one hundred students were killed and hundreds were arrested. All schools were forced to shut down.

Since then Ko Ko Gyi and other student leaders went to hiding to avoid the arrest. In July 1988, the government opened the schools. As organized by Ko Ko Gyi and friends, student strikes were appeared in the campuses and the government closed all schools again. Some students were arrested. In August 1988, Ko Ko Gyi and fellow student leaders successfully organized the nationwide popular uprising, calling freedom, justice, democracy and an end of the single party system. Millions of people from all walks of live came in the streets and protested peacefully. At the peak of the popular uprising, Ko Ko Gyi and other student leaders re-established the historic national student organization, All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and Ko Ko Gyi was elected as Vice Chairman. At the same time, under the pressure of general public, General Ne Win, then dictator of Burma fell from the power. Unfortunately, the military regime took over the power and crushed down the peaceful demonstrators brutally. During the days and weeks of August 1988, the military killed as many as ten thousands unarmed innocents in the streets. Ko Ko Gyi and other student leaders went to hiding again and continued to organize the protests.

In March and April of 1989, the military regime arrested all leaders of the ABFSU including Ko Ko Gyi.

Ko Ko Gyi was released after Six weeks of arrest and continued to serve as acting Chairman of the ABFSU since Chairman Min Ko Naing was in detention. ABFSU led by Ko Ko Gyi was a major force of NLD in winning a landslide victory in 1990 general election.

He was arrested again on December 11, 1991by the authorities and accused that he was involved in the student protest at the Rangoon University in December 1991, honoring imprisoned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for receiving Nobel Peace Prize. He was sentenced 20 years imprisonment with hard labor and put in the Insein prison, Rangoon.

His 20 years imprisonment was commuted to ten years in 1993, under the selected pardon 1/93. His mother passed away before he was arrested and his father passed away while he was in the prison. He was transferred to Thayet prison in Magway Division on June 11, 1994 and informed by the prison authorities that he would be released on October 20, 1999.

But, on October 20, 1999, he was not released, instead, the prison authority informed him that his prison term was extended indefinitely, as instructed by the military junta, under the section 10 (A) of state protection act, which is created and used by the authority to detain the political dissidents without trial.

Ko Ko Gyi was adopted by the Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.
Finally, he was released from the prison on March 17, 2005. He served over thirteen years in the prison.

After he was released from Prison in 2005, he still continue advocate for restoring democracy and human rights and national reconciliation. As a result, he was again arrested on September 27, 2006 with Min Ko Naing,, Min Zeya, Pyone Cho, Htay Kywe who were in prison for over decades.

Member of Presidium, People’s Front for Democracy (PFD), Rangoon, Burma (January 1989-April 1989)
• Founded in 1989 as an umbrella organization comprising with the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), Burma Labor Solidarity Organization (BLSO), All Burma Young Monks Union (ABYMU), All Burma Peasants Union (ABPU) and Organization of Former Political Detainees (OFPD), to increase the momentum of democracy movement in Burma.
• Formulated the policies and strategies to strengthen the solidarity of alliance and to weaken the grip of the military regime.
• Organized more people to participate in democracy movement.
• Coordinated with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders to establish the collected action.
Vice Chairperson I, All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Rangoon, Burma (August 1988-December 1991)
• Monitored daily activities of students’ participation in democracy movement.
• Organized mass rallies to show the solidarity and strength of people power against the military dictatorship.
• Gave numerous speeches to the people about democracy and human rights.
• Requested U Nu, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and other leaders of democracy movement to form an interim Government with public support to end the military rule.

1991 to 2005- Insein and Thayet prison

1989- Detained in April for his political paper entitled ‘Interim Government and Present Burma,’ discussed among ABFSU leaders. Released in June.
1991- Arrested after being accused of leading a student demonstration supporting the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
1994- Moved to Thayet Prison, a remote prison located in middle Burma.
1999- Prison term expired in September, but the regime continued to place him under detention.
2005- Released in March.

He was arrested August 21, 2007 at his home.