It was formed by students after the 8888 uprising, in opposition to the ruling military junta at the time.

[3] After the 1990 general election, which was unrecognised and suppressed by the newly formed military junta, many students that participated in the 8888 uprising fled the country and went to neighbouring Thailand.

On 1 October 1999, a group of five members raided the Burmese consulate in Bangkok and took 89 people hostage.

However, the group soon relaxed their demands and began to release hostages, and the Thai government eventually escorted the VBSW members by helicopter to the Thai-Myanmar border.

[4] Despite openly supporting the democracy movement in Myanmar, lead figures of the movement such as Aung San Suu Kyi, the President of the NLD, have denounced the VBSW, and their use of violence to achieve their goals.