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Myanmar - Suppressed or Restricted Information

      Myanmar has been a site of great struggle historically, and the present situation of civil war is complex and constantly evolving. After a contentious parliamentary election in 2020, there was a military coup by the Tatmadaw (the armed forces of Myanmar) led by Min Aung Hlaing. He would go on to establish a military dictatorship over the country which him and his cronies maintain to this day. Popular struggle against the junta culminated in an all-out civil war, with dozens of national and international political and military organizations allying themselves with the National Unity Government formed in 2021 (or much more rarely with the military junta government). Given the ever-evolving situation in Myanmar and the great deal of repression and censorship being faced there, we are actively seeking more statements and documents from organizations that are progressive or revolutionary in character. This page is a work in progress, and any contributions or criticisms are welcome.

      We at BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET oppose the suppression of news and information whether it is done through force or through economics. There can be no true democracy or freedom where only the ideas acceptable to the exploiting ruling class are allowed to reach the people. On this site we will do what we can to make available news and documents related to the struggle in Myanmar which are mostly unknown rest of the world.

      Please note that the versions on this page designated as "unofficial English translation" relied in part of whole on machine learning translation software. These are powerful tools to access new documents for this site. However, for sensitive and nuanced political documents where individual word choice matters, the results should not be considered the official stances of any groups or parties involved in writing the originals. If you are able to proof, re-translate, or know of other documents or items which should be made available here, or other organizations that should be represented, contact us at: freespeech@bannedthought.net


Communist Party of Burma (CPB)

      The Communist Party of Burma (CPB) and its armed wing was founded in 1939 to combat British colonial rule. Shortly after, during WWII, it entered a popular front to fight the invading Imperial Japanese Army. The CPB cofounded the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League against Japanese occupation alongside other parties, but was expelled from this formation by the state.

     The CPB began a decades-long insurgency against the Burmese government lasting from 1948 until 1989. The party spent most of this period fighting the anti-communist and US-backed military dictatorship of Ne Win. The ideology of Burma at this time was "Burmese Way to Socialism" but this was only in name, and very few socialist policies were implemented, especially after the mid-1970s. During the 1960s, the party's insurgency was weakened by government offensives alongside purges and infighting. The CPB initiated a major rectification campaign in the late 1970s-1980s, declaring support for Mao Zedong Thought and its intention to repudiate revisionism and sectarianism of prior decades. The CPB participated in the 8888 Uprising, but could not take leadership of this rebellion. In 1989, mutinies affected the Party, resulting in much of its ethnic minority base splintering into various "Ethnic Armed Organisations" while the leadership fled into China.

     In 2021, with the start of the Burmese Civil War, the CPB's leadership re-entered the country from China, re-armed itself, and renewed an insurgency against the junta in alliance with other revolutionaries in the region. It is currently led by Ni Ni Kyaw and has fighters in northern Shan State and the Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway and Tanintharyi regions.

  • Documents of the CPB
    • "Patriotic Line", June 2001. A document laying out some aspects of the political line of the CPB. Note that the pagination for the version in Burmese is intended for printing and out of order in the PDF. 13 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (131 KB)
    • "General Program of the Communist Party of Burma (Modified according to the situation) (March 2007)", March 2007. As above, note that the pagination for version in Burmese is intended for printing and out of order in the PDF. 4 pages (unofficial English translation, which relied in part of machine learning tools) or 5 pages (Burmese).   English (unofficial): PDF format (95) KB Burmese: PDF format (66 KB)
    • "Memoirs of the Anti-Fascist Revolution", 3 January 2014. Translation of an article written by the late Bogyoke Kyaw Zaw and printed in Pyithu Arner (People’s Democracy) No. 22, 2012. A short recounting originally written in 2002 of the anti-fascist struggle in Myanmar against Japanese occupation. 2 pages.   English (official): PDF format (81 KB)
    • "The Neoliberal Onslaught", 10 November 2014. An essay on the "opening up" of Myanmar and the maneuvering of imperialist interests there. 4 pages.   English (official): PDF format (101 KB)
    • "It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over ", 6 January 2016. A short article relating to the CPB's line in the mid-2010s. 2 pages.   English (official): PDF format (215 KB)
    • "People's Liberation Army - PLA Celebrates 4th Anniversary of Its Founding", 15 March 2025. 1 page.   Burmese: PDF format (110 KB) English (unofficial): PDF format (215 KB)
    • "Kant's Manifesto", 21 June 2025. A poem written by "Comrade Aung Do", commemorating a successful CPB offensive in late June. 1 page (Burmese) or 2 pages (English).   Burmese: PDF format (118 KB) English (unofficial): PDF format (170 KB)
    • "Message from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Burma on the 86th Anniversary of Its Founding", 15 August 2025. Unnoficial English translation provided by Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist). 4 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (97 KB) English (unofficial): PDF format (576 KB)
  • "People's Democracy" Journal
    • People's Democracy, No. 40, January 2017. 57 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (678 KB)
    • People's Democracy, No. 41, October 2017. 53 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (769 KB)
    • People's Democracy, No. 42, September 2019 2020. A special issue commemorating the CPB's 80th anniversary. 79 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (811 KB)
    • People's Democracy, No. 43, September 2020. 74 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (963 KB)
    • People's Democracy, No. 44, September 2024. A special issue commemorating the CPB's 85th anniversary. 69 pages.   Burmese: PDF format (2,899 KB)
      • "The 20 Year Journey of the Maoist Path", September 2024. An unofficial English translation of an article from People's Democracy, No. 44. 5 pages.   English: PDF format (583 KB)

All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU)

  • Documents of the ABFSU
    • "Fascist Military of Burma arrested a student of ABFSU and brutally tortured him", News and Informations Bureau, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. July 29, 2022. 1 page.   English: PDF format (12 KB)
    • "Statement by ABFSU Regarding the Sentencing of death to 7 Students of Dagon University who Fought for Democracy", Central Executive Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. December 1, 2022. 1 page.   English: PDF format (52 KB)
    • "One of our comrades, Ko Hein Htet, from All Burma Federation Of Student Unions has unlawfully sentenced to captivate life imprisonment under vicious court martial", Information & Communication Bureau, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. February 13, 2023. 1 page.   English: PDF format (48 KB)
    • "ABFSU Comrade Ko Kaung Sett Paing was unjustly sentenced to captivate life imprisonment under Fascist Court Martial", Information & Communication Bureau, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. March 23, 2023. 1 page.   English: PDF format (49 KB)
    • "Comrade Ma Su Thoon Paing from ABFSU was unjustifiably sentenced 3 years captivation by Fascist Court Martial", Information & Communication Bureau, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. March 31, 2023. 1 page.   English: PDF format (48 KB)
    • "Comrade Ko Htet Aung Htun from ABFSU was unjustifiably sentenced to 11 years in prison by Fascist Court Martial", Central Executive Committee All Burma Federation of Student Unions. April 5, 2023. 1 page.   English: PDF format (43 KB)
    • "Statement on Ko Kaung Sat Paing (A.B.F.S.U)’s death penalty", Central Executive Committee All Burma Federation of Student Unions. April 28, 2023. 1 page.   English: PDF format (48 KB)
    • "FREE PALESTINE", All Burma Federation of Student Unions. November 6, 2023. 9 pages.   English: PDF format (9,320 KB)
    • "Peace-loving Youth of the World Unite to Stop Aerial Bombings in Palestine, India, Myanmar, and the Philippines", A joint statement signed by: International League of Peoples’ Struggle – Commission on Youth, League of Filipino Students (Philippines), Revolutionary Students Front (India), Democratic Students’ Association (Kerala, India), Palestinian Youth Movement, All Burma Federation of Students Union, Myanmar Student Organization, Asia Young Indigenous Peoples Network, Youth for Food Sovereignty, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates Youth (Philippines), Siklab Philippine Indigenous Youth Network, Gempar Papua (West Papua), Sulong UBC (Canada), Anakbayan USA. January 14, 2024. 8 pages.   English: PDF format (2,893 KB)
    • "Aerial Bombing of Karenni School", Central Executive Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. February 5, 2024. 11 pages.   English: PDF format (6,669 KB)
    • "Statement Condemning the Mandatory Conscription Law", Central Executive Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. February 12, 2024. 11 pages.   English: PDF format (6,662 KB)
    • "Announcement of the Formation of Central Organizing Committee (COC) of All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU)", Central Executive Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. March 4, 2024. 1 page.   English: PDF format (6 KB)
    • "Announcement of the names of the members of the Central Organizing Committee (COC) of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU)", Central Organizing Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. March 4, 2024. 1 page.   English: PDF format (6 KB)
    • "In solidarity with the Bangladesh Students' Union (BSU)", Central Organizing Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. March 14, 2024. 1 page.   English: PDF format (6 KB)
    • "The speech of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) presented at the opening ceremony of the second conference of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC)", Central Organizing Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. April 14, 2024. 2 pages.   English: PDF format (46 KB)
    • "Support the Ongoing Struggle of Students and Masses Against the Hasina-Awami Fascist Government's Repression, Killings, Forced Disappearance and Mass-Arrest in Continuation of the Quota Reform Movement in Bangladesh " A joint statement signed by: People’s Democratic Students Unity (PDSU) (Bangladesh), Chatra Gonomancha (Bangladesh), Revolutionary Student-Youth Movement (RS-YM) (Bangladesh), All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary)(Nepal), Revolutionary Students' Front (West Bengal - India), Democratic Students' Association (Kerala - India), Portsmouth Marxist Students (England), All Burma Federation of Student Union (Myanmar), Revolutionary Students' Group (Portland - USA), Lal Morich - National Organizing Committee (USA), Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society, Aberystwyth University Vigil For Palestine, University of Leicester Palestine Society, University of Surrey students for Justice in Palestine, Students of Alareer Square (Liverpool Encampment), Bangor University Encampment for Palestine, University of Strathclyde Palestine Solidarity Society 18. Cymru Students for Palestine, Manchester Camp of Resistance for Palestine, The people of Leila Khaled's Hall, Oxford Action For Palestine, Newcastle Apartheid Off Campus, Durham Students for Palestine, Lancaster Palestine solidarity encampment, Red Birds (Liverpool). August 6, 2024. 3 pages.  English: PDF format (60 KB)
    • "Statement on the Fourth Year Anniversary of the Fascist Military’s Coup", Central Organizing Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. February 1, 2025. 3 pages.   English: PDF format (871 KB)
    • "Fascist Military, Natural Disasters & Humanitarian Aid", All Burma Federation of Student Unions. March 29, 2025. 18 pages.   English: PDF format (14,361 KB)
    • "Statement from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) On the 89th Anniversary", Central Organizing Committee, All Burma Federation of Student Unions. May 8, 2025. 1 page.   English: PDF format (12 KB)

  • "Burma Updates" Journal

International Commentary

  • On the Ongoing Civil War
    • "For the defeat of the Burmese junta and a free and independent Burma!", by Nick G., the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist), 30 January 2025. 4 pages.   English: PDF format (371 KB)

  • Academic or Bourgeois Commentary
    • "Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity", Martin Smith (1999, St Martin's Press, New York City). 548 pages.   English: PDF format (88,898 KB)


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