September 24, 2007 - The revolution has started in Burma after 19 years. The general population, including artists, actors, social workers, students, workers, different religious groups have joined the monks' sixth day protests on the streets of Burma's capital Rangoon on Sunday, September 23, 2007. The protests have gained momentum demanding political reform by the military regime --- the Chinese-backed tyranny in South East Asia' poorest country.

In Rangoon, the afternoon of September 23 was a serious challenge to the Burma's repressive regime during the 15 minutes meeting of the world's most prominent political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi and more than 2,000 protesting monks in front of her University Avenue villa. The fifth day of peaceful marching of Buddhist monks gained the highest momentum with the appearance of the detained Nobel Peace prize winner. Some eyewitnesses described the brief meeting between the two powerful forces and told the media that she was in good health and high spirits, but there were tears in her eyes.

As a political prisoner for 11 of 18 years, she had a chance to pay obeisance to the monks and receive Buddha's teaching by monks who kicked-off their nationwide religious boycott "patam nikkujjana kamma" -meaning a refusal to accept alms from members of the military regime and their families or to attend religious ceremonies held by them - on the 19th anniversary of the military coup. The peaceful march gained nationwide support and was joined by the students and general population who protected the monks by joining hands in a human chain.

The monks asked people and students to begin a mass demonstration on Monday (September 24, 2007) to topple the evil-spirited regime who ordered beating up of and arresting novices and monks early this month in central and western Burma cities. The army and the security forces are surprisingly silent at this moment. It may probably be that the regime needs to listen seriously to the advice of China to handle things peacefully. But Burmese people with their political awareness and understanding joined the current movement for the decade long hunger for democracy.

Many people in and out of Burma now believe that the escalating marching across the country might lead to a regime-change. Based on the bitter experience of a failed democracy movement in 1988 and current digital technology in mass communication, the military has been hesitating to crack down on the uprisings because killings demonstrators will invite the wrath of the international community and it will probably result in action by the U.S. and the U.K. governments at the table of the U.N. Security Council. Ultimately, people, students, and monks have successfully joined the mass demonstration and called for a dialogue between the regime and pro-democracy forces for political reform. The revolution has started in Burma.

Monks and the Buddhist religion represent the colour of yellow in Asia where monks wear yellow robes and monasteries are decorated by gold or yellow as well as the pagodas and temples. Coincidently, Burmese students' symbol is a yellow fighting peacock which they used in the colonial period to fight for independence. The fighting yellow peacock flags were waved in the air during the 1988 and recent students' strikes. The National League for Democracy, the election winning party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, used the yellow peacock in the party flag to honor the student movements in Burma. Again, the party launched the Yellow-colour campaign back in 1998 to support the forming of people's parliament which called was by Aung San Suu Kyi. Students, party members, and supporters wore yellow shirts in August 1988, and former military intelligence officers campaigned to arrest all activists who wore yellow shirts. Why is the color so important?

Color symbolism is the most significant movement to generate high spirits among the general population to reach their goal. Moreover, the colour revolution also represents non-violent resistance to protest against authoritarianism in world history. Colour symbolism names given collectively to a series of nonviolent movements around the world, especially in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Colour movements are named for revolutionary waves. The most significant revolutions in the past were Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004, Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003, Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2005, and Velvet Revolution in Chez Republic in 1989 together with Gentle Revolution in Slovakia. These countries named their revolutions by colour or flower images for peaceful resistance. Why not Burma?

The so-called Golden Land (Burma ) is a perfectly good reason for all Burmese who are in the stage of a revolution to name their resistance as "Yellow Revolution" which can empower to sweep the evil-spirited regime and rebuild a democratic nation. The term should be coined by journalists as other Eastern European countries followed. The media is playing a very important role for Burma's revolution, and to name a revolution is the right thing to do for the media. The name should be given at the beginning of the resistance to guide it the great victory. Under the "Yellow Revolution" resistance, people need to practice civil disobedience on Monday and should invite civil servants to join the March and campaign not to attend government's offices. Private businessmen have to shut down all their functioning to show political defiance. Monks, students, and NLD members are important forces for a breakthrough in Burma.

Finally, the "Yellow Revolution" must be regarded as the second independent struggle by calling for national reconciliation for a meaningful dialogue between the SPDC and pro-democracy forces led by Nobel Peace Laureate Suu Kyi.

Nathan Maung is a former journalist in Thailand and currently studying mass communication at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for Media Studies in the United States.