At just 17 years old, Mya Zaw witnessed the beginning of a revolution in Myanmar.

Hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets nationwide to protest the militant regime of Gen. Ne Win, which killed an estimated 3,000 unarmed people on the night of Aug. 8, 1988, in an event later named the Nationwide People of Burma Pro-Democracy Protest, or the 8888 Uprising.

“It’s like yesterday,” Zaw said. “People die. People get arrested. They got tortured. They lost their family, they lost their parents.”

On Tuesday, Zaw traveled from Louisville to join Bowling Green’s Burmese community at the Buddhaovada Monastery for a 30-year anniversary of the fateful day.

During the ceremony, several people shared their experiences of living during the 8888 Uprising. One person read a letter from U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., about honoring those who gave their lives for democracy, and two people shared the task of reciting a poem.

The majority of the speeches were spoken in Burmese, but the message of “democracy” and “people of different ethnicities” could be understood.

Khin “Jimmy” Maung Nyunt, a local leader of the Burmese community and chairman of the event’s organizing committee, delivered a speech in both Burmese and English to begin the ceremony.

“The root of Myanmar or Burma’s national crisis started from two sources, (the) introduction of military dictatorship and a one-party system,” Nyunt said.

“During (Gen. Ne Win’s) 26-year rule, oppression, violence, injustice and chaos are rampant … which acted as a catalyst that ignited the 8888 Uprising.”

The rebellion’s four objectives were to eliminate the military dictatorship, practice and preserve a democracy that grants fundamental human rights and freedom, build and maintain the unity of the indigenous races and return political power to the country and the people, according to Nyunt.

During the peaceful protests, unarmed people were cut down by bullets randomly fired by the troops, filling the streets with “the smell of blood, tears, sweat, gunpowder, smoke and lifeless bodies,” Nyunt said.

That violence continued throughout the 1988 demonstrations. Following a military coup Sept. 18, 1988, Zaw was forced into hiding to evade potentially fatal police encounters for a year until he could plan an escape, leaving behind a mother and sister.

“I couldn’t even say goodbye to my mom,” Zaw said. “I had to leave the country.”

Zaw spent about a decade in China and India, where he obtained a high school certificate, gained admission to New Delhi University, and then earned a scholarship in 2001 to attend university in the U.S. Zaw attended Indiana University, Ball State University and Spalding University, and now teaches ESL at Jefferson County Public Schools.

He believes education is the most important tool in moving toward a democratic state.

“We need to pass this legacy to the younger generation,” Zaw said. “They will never know that happened 30 years ago unless we discuss it.”

The ceremony included what was described as a “salute”: The individuals present bowed their heads during a few phrases, such as “tai yin thar see lone nyi nyut yey,” which loosely translates to the “uniting of all ethnic minorities.”

The ceremony ended with a chant, “doh ayay,” which translates to “our cause,” and words to the effect of “down with military rule” and the desire to create a “real constitution,” according to Zaw.

Afterward, participants gathered on stage for a group photo – and seemingly everyone requested that their cellphone be used to take a photo.

About a dozen people congregated in the temple after that to discuss the current conflicts in Myanmar – the religious persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority and an external interest from China and India in the natural gas reserves located in southwestern Myanmar, according to Zaw.

“People continue to fight,” Zaw said. “Those who survive should move on and learn the lesson of the past. … We need to support each other.”

Since the uprising, there has been some progress. Myanmar held its first democratic election in 2015, and the people elected a Burmese humanitarian, Aung San Suu Kyi, as the State Counselor of Myanmar.

“Things are changing, it’s opening,” Zaw said.

In July, Zaw was allowed access to return to his home country after 30 years away to visit his sister.

“It was very emotional to see her,” he said. “I never thought I’d be able to go back.”