The jailed former State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was forbidden from attending the 76th Martyr’s Day ceremony in Yangon commemorating the assassination of her father General Aung San in 1947, but her eldest brother did attend.
Martyr’s Day is a national holiday on 19 July that commemorates the assassination at the Secretariat Office of General Aung San, seven other leaders of the pre-independence interim government, and one bodyguard on 19 July 1947.
The first Martyr’s Day was celebrated in Yangon on the day after the assassinations, 20 July 1947. This year was the 76th annual Marty’s Day celebration.
This year U Aung San Oo, the eldest son of General Aung San, attended the ceremony on 19 July at the Martyrs Mausoleum in Yangon, along with relatives of the seven other political leaders and a driver who were killed alongside General Aung San.
During the ceremony, the relatives all laid wreaths, according to a live broadcast by the military-owned MRTV television channel.
Traditionally, high-ranking government officials visited the Martyr’s Mausoleum on Martyr’s Day.
But, Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader did not attend, he has not attended any of the three Martyr’s Day celebrations since the February 2021 coup. This year General Tin Aung San, the Union Minister of Transportation and Communication and member of the State Administration Council (SAC) presided over the ceremony.
Whenever she was not imprisoned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would attend the Martyr’s Day celebrations at the Martyr’s Mausoleum. The last time she attended them was in 2020.
U Aung San Oo is estranged from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s and is her only surviving sibling. He does not approve of her political work and unsuccessfully took her to court in 2020 to try to get half of her house in University Avenue, Yangon. The Burmese Lawyers' Council said he was doing this as a potential surrogate of the army.
Despite tight security throughout the day revolutionary forces across the country demonstrated and launched attacks in commemoration of Martyr’s Day.
