Daw Aung San Suu Kyi not at the Martyrs’ Day ceremony in Rangoon

DVB ( July 19,2003 )

It is reported that Daw Aung Suu Kyi was not allowed to attend the 56th anniversary of the Martyrs’ Day ceremony in Rangoon. In her place, her brother U Aung San Oo and his wife were allowed to lay the wreath at the mausoleum as special guests.

As usual, the top three generals didn’t attend the ceremony but the Information Minister, General Kyi Aung laid the wreath for the SPDC in front of the tomb of General Aung San, the father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Thakhin Thein Pe who fought with General Aung San for the independence of Burma gave his reactions on the refusal to allow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as follows:

Thakhin Thein Pe : We are worried by the fact that Daw Suu was not allowed to attend…Do they want to keep her out of the view of the people? And why? Or is she not well? We are thinking about these and worried. During his foreign trips, the foreign minister U Win Aung showed the picture of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to other people and the like…We are a little bit doubtful. Instead of showing the pictures of Daw Suu, it would be more honourable for the SPDC to show her personally at this occasion. If the generals do not want to salute the martyrs, they should allow the daughter of one of the martyrs salute her father.

The non-attendance of the top generals is the sign of disrespect to General Aung San who founded the Burmese army and it is very regrettable, Thakhin Thein Pe added:

Thakhin Thein Pe : General Aung San is the architect of Burmese independence and the founder of Burmese army. If the people who were born 4-5 years after the independence and who are abusing power at the moment don’t recognise that kind of man as the leader of nation’s history, I am afraid that it will disappear from history…You can’t make history disappear. By keeping the history, you will also become a historic person. Therefore, try to hold the memory of General Aung San and the martyrs properly. When General Aung San was not there, Ne Win took over the country and the country was ruined like this. As we don’t want the nation to become like that, we want the generals to recognise the people like the martyrs who loyally served the nation. Please take it seriously. Then, the younger generations will become martyrs and copy the martyrs. We regard that if they do not salute the martyrs, they do not respect the martyrs. We are feeling sad a bout it.

Thakhin Thein Pe also added that the efforts of the military leaders to airbrush the history of Burma is accompanied by the loss of interest among the people:

Thakhin Thein Pe : Nothing is left. The Martyrs’ Day is only remembered by people who were interested in politics. The reason is – the government is not rallying people. Before, people were asked to observe a minute silence and to fly the national flag at half mast and the like…Now, the leaders are doing nothing. People are feeling that if they observe the day, they could be prosecuted. A friend of mine told me that he flew the flag half mast and his children told him why he did that while the whole street did nothing like it.

Burmese exiles around the world also commemorated the Martyrs’ Day.