Myanmar's public marked one of its nation's darkest moments on Sunday with tributes to slain independence heroes, though the annual Martyrs' Day gatherings were affected by the coronavirus pandemic due to social distancing measures, VOA reported.

Flanked by senior government and military officials, state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi laid a wreath at a mausoleum dedicated to Aung San, her father and the country's independence hero, who was assassinated alongside members of his cabinet on July 19, 1947.

In the commercial capital of Yangon, crowds queued to approach a statue of Aung San clutching portraits of the independence leader and his daughter, waiting on markers painted in the road to encourage people to keep a distance.