Saya Shwe Ba (Top picture) holding a M79 grenade launcher during Three Pagoda Pass battle.
Tin Htun (bottom picture) was a squad commander when he was killed. Both of them were killed in the battle of Ye town ( March 22, 1990). They were close to each other. Saya Shwe Ba handpicked Tin Htun when he was chosen to lead student fighters for that battle. 5 ABSDF students and 38 Mon National Liberation Army fighters were killed. All of them were cornered at the township sports stadium and captured alive. Town people later told this story. All of them were stripped to their underwear and beaten savagely in front of town people since most of the people are sympathetic to the cause. Later, they all were forced to dig their own graves and killed. We heard they were either beaten to death or bayonetted.
The day this photo is posted to this blog is the 19th anniversary of their death.
Ko Ko Oo was a second year university student when 8.8.88 uprising happened. He was killed in Yinye village battle on January 23, 1991 in Ye township. He was my platton commander and I was the platton medic. Three students (Ko Ko Oo, Than Bo and Kyaw Soe Lay) were killed in action. 6 of us including me were wounded. The fight lasted for about 1-2 hours. There were about 14 of us against 1 company of soldiers. We were outgunned and outnumbered. We fought bravely. The top left picture is their graves.
