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Than ShweDenis D. GrayExplore this event
The wider storyHow many people joined the September 24, 2007 Yangon protests?The September 24, 2007 demonstration in Yangon drew between thirty‑thousand and one‑hundred‑thousand participants, the largest gathering in two decades, according to contemporary reports.Read the full history | Event | Saffron Revolution protests intensify in Yangon |
|---|---|
| Date | September 24, 2007 |
| Location | Yangon, Myanmar |
| Key Figure | Senior General Than Shwe |
| Source Detail | Diesel and petrol prices increased by 66 to 100 percent following the removal of fuel subsidies. |
| Confirmed Outcome | Between 30,000 and 100,000 people participated in anti-government protests in Yangon. |
Timeline: the road to Yangon and its aftermath
- August 2007 Economic and political protests begin in Myanmar following the removal of fuel subsidies.
- September 2007 Thousands of Buddhist monks take the lead in the protests.
- September 24, 2007 Between 30,000 and 100,000 people take part in anti-government protests in Yangon, the largest in 20 years.
- Late September 2007 The government initiates a renewed crackdown on the demonstrations.
- September 30, 2007 A UN envoy is sent to negotiate with the military as streets in Rangoon remain mostly quiet after the suppression of demonstrations.
- 2011 Senior General Than Shwe retires from power at the age of 78.
The Break With the Old Order
The Saffron Revolution began as a series of economic and political protests in Myanmar during August, September, and October 2007. The national military government’s decision to remove subsidies on fuel sales prices triggered the demonstrations. This single policy shift immediately caused diesel and petrol prices to increase by 66 to 100 percent, while the price of compressed natural gas for buses jumped by 500 percent in less than a week.
Students, political activists, and Buddhist monks led the demonstrations as a campaign of nonviolent resistance, also known as civil resistance. The scale of the unrest in Yangon was significant, with between 30,000 and 100,000 people participating in anti-government protests, marking the largest such gathering in twenty years.
Voices From the Moment
Starting in September 2007, thousands of Buddhist monks took the lead in the protests. Their saffron-colored robes became the visual symbol of the movement, a connection that gave the event its name. The international press seized upon the term Saffron Revolution to describe the ongoing demonstrations, linking the color of the monks' garments to the broader political resistance.
The government permitted the protests to proceed until a renewed crackdown in late September 2007. In response to the demonstrations, dozens of protesters were arrested or detained. The exact number of casualties remains unknown, with estimates ranging from 13 to 31 deaths resulting from either the protests or reprisals by the government.
Recognition, Resistance, and First Consequences
Several hundred people were arrested or detained during the unrest, though many of those individuals were subsequently released.
The military leadership maintained its hold on the country despite the scale of the opposition. Senior General Than Shwe remained in power until his retirement in 2011, when he stepped down at the age of 78.
The Nation That Emerged Afterward
The term Saffron Revolution specifically links the political resistance to the saffron-colored robes worn by the Buddhist monks who stood at the forefront of the demonstrations. This visual association distinguished the 2007 protests in Myanmar from other color revolutions documented elsewhere.
Analysis: Saffron Revolution
What the evidence supports and leaves unresolved
What the record supports
- Quantified Economic Shock: The record specifies that diesel and petrol prices rose by 66 to 100 percent, while compressed natural gas for buses increased by 500 percent in less than a week.
- Defined Protest Scale: Sources document that between 30,000 and 100,000 people participated in anti-government protests in Yangon, marking the largest gathering in twenty years.
Limits and unresolved questions
- Uncertain Casualty Count: The exact number of deaths from the 2007 Myanmar protests remains unknown, with estimates ranging from 13 to 31 resulting from the demonstrations or government reprisals.
- Delayed Leadership Change: Senior General Than Shwe remained in power until his retirement in 2011 at age 78, despite the scale of the 2007 opposition.
Evidence Map: How We Checked the Central Claim
What the sources verify and how they were used
This comparison separates the event page selected for the account from the independently verified page used to corroborate it.
Central claim checked: Between 30,000 and 100,000 people take part in anti-government protests in Yangon, Burma, the largest in 20 years.
| Direct source | Verification role | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Saffron Revolution · Wikipedia Accessed 2026-09-23 | Selected event record | Supports the central claim shown above. |
| Burma protesters call for help from outside world · archive.boston.com Accessed 2026-09-23 | Independent corroboration | Supports the central claim shown above. |
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Questions readers ask about Saffron Revolution
The recorded event date is September 24, 2007.
Key figures included Than Shwe, Denis D. Gray.
The record specifies that diesel and petrol prices rose by 66 to 100 percent, while compressed natural gas for buses increased by 500 percent in less than a week.