YANGON (MAYNMARN) – Rich tributes were paid to the nation’s fallen independence heroes on Sunday although the ceremony was a muted affair because of the pandemic and social distancing norms.
Accompanied by senior government and military officials, state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi placed a wreath at a mausoleum dedicated to Aung San, her father and the country’s independence hero, who was assassinated along with his cabinet members in July 19, 1947.
The public also placed flowers beside his statue. His image is often used by his daughter and her opponents to trump up support among the public, that continues to revere the slain leader.
For several years, the former military junta had banned the display of his image fearing that it would fuel the democracy movement that emerged in 1988 led by Suu Kyi.
In national capital, crowds waited in queue clutching portraits of the leader and his daughter to place flowers at his memorial. There were markers on the road to enforce social distancing.
“The Martyrs’ Day was once extinct, during the political crisis,” said Yin Yin Phyo Thu, a resident of the city.
“We young people are responsible for preserving the image of Martyrs’ Day not to fade away during COVID-19,” she said.
So far, the country has reported 340 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
The country goes to the polls again in November in a vote that will serve as a litmus test of the fledgling democracy.
“We came here to pay respects and also to get ourselves politically motivated in 2020, the election year,” said Kyaw Swar, a university student.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field