Suu Kyi leads tribute to Myanmar acivists
- 11 years ago
Nobel laureate and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi remembers the father she lost as a child.
On Martyrs Day, the country's political leaders commemorated General Aung San and eight other pro-democracy activists killed in 1947.
They were gunned down during a cabinet meeting a year before the country gained independence from British colonial rule.
Revered as a national hero, General Aung San is considered by many to be the father of modern-day Myanmar and a symbol of freedom.
(SOUNDBITE) (Burmese) LOCAL RESIDENT, KHIN MARLAR MYINT, SAYING:
"I want young people to learn about Martyrs Day because they don't know anything about it, including my son. They don't even know why the flag needs to be lowered to half-mast."
Myanmar was under strict military rule for nearly five decades until 2010 elections made way for democratic reforms.
On Martyrs Day, the country's political leaders commemorated General Aung San and eight other pro-democracy activists killed in 1947.
They were gunned down during a cabinet meeting a year before the country gained independence from British colonial rule.
Revered as a national hero, General Aung San is considered by many to be the father of modern-day Myanmar and a symbol of freedom.
(SOUNDBITE) (Burmese) LOCAL RESIDENT, KHIN MARLAR MYINT, SAYING:
"I want young people to learn about Martyrs Day because they don't know anything about it, including my son. They don't even know why the flag needs to be lowered to half-mast."
Myanmar was under strict military rule for nearly five decades until 2010 elections made way for democratic reforms.