U Thant funeral crisis

U Thant funeral crisis
Final resting place of U Thant
Date1 December 1974 (1974-12-01) – 11 December 1974 (1974-12-11)
Location
Rangoon, Burma
Caused byGovernment's refusal to hold a state funeral for U Thant
GoalsState funeral at the old site of Rangoon University Student Union
MethodsCivil resistance, demonstrations, nonviolent resistance
Resulted inGovernment crackdown
Casualties
Death(s)Unknown
InjuriesUnknown
ArrestedUnknown

The U Thant funeral crisis or U Thant crisis (Burmese: ဦးသန့် အရေးအခင်း) was a series of protests and riots in the then-Burmese capital of Rangoon triggered by the death of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations on 25 November 1974.[1]: 10–11 

In response to the Burmese military government's refusal to give him a state funeral, student activists from the Rangoon Arts and Sciences University (RASU) took his body away from the official funeral procession and marched it to the university campus where they held their own ceremony for him. The students, Thant's family, and the government came to an agreement to bury the body in a new mausoleum next to the Shwedagon Pagoda,[1]: 11–14  but before this could happen, another group of student activists took the body to a mausoleum they had constructed at the site of the demolished RASU Students Union building.[1]: 15  On 11 December, the government stormed the university grounds, seized the body, and entombed it at the Kandawmin Garden Mausolea.[1]: 18–19 

Citywide riots followed this crackdown, and the government declared martial law. Peace returned to the city by 15 December after the army cracked down on the rioters and protesters.[1]: 20–21  According to official sources, thousands of protesters were arrested and at least eighteen died, but unofficial figures are much higher.

  1. ^ a b c d e Selth, Andrew (1989). Death of a Hero: The U Thant Disturbances in Burma, December 1974. Griffith University, Brisbane: Centre for the Study of Australia-Asian Relations.