Suu Kyi misses Burma's big day

Burma's annual commemoration for its founding father has gone ahead without his daughter, imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy have been detained by the Burmese military government since the end of May.

General Aung San's family was represented by her estranged elder brother Aung San Oo, a US citizen who attended Martyrs' Day event at the invitation of the military regime.

Aung San Suu Kyi was at last year's ceremony - held soon after she was released from house arrest - but stayed away the previous year in a gesture of protest against the restrictions imposed on her.

Solemn ceremony

General Aung San, assassinated in 1947, is highly respected both by the ruling junta and the pro-democracy movement, and the annual Martyrs' Day celebrations are a major event on Burma's political calendar.

The ceremony was held amid tight security at the Martyrs' Mausoleum.

The dignitaries and families of the eight comrades assassinated along with Aung San laid wreaths in a solemn ceremony.

A two-minute silence was held in honour of the nine men killed just before Burma achieved independence from British rule.

But reports from Rangoon said there were few public activities and that previous practices, like flying flags at half mast or sounding car horns to mark the time of the killings, are less commonly observed nowadays.

Some analysts say the younger generation of Burmese don't know as much about the country's route to independence and haven't been taught about General Aung San and his contribution.

The BBC's Jill McGivering, in reporting from Bangkok, says national newspapers used to carry special reports and pictures of the General on matryrs' day but that practice too has now stopped.

One suggestion is that the ruling military government might be cautious about maintaining his profile as they face intense international pressure to revive political dialogue with his daughter.

Outrage

Earlier this month the BBC obtained the first eyewitness evidence that the Burmese army directed and orchestrated the attack in May on the motorcade of the democracy leader.

The attack and subsequent detention of Aung San Suu Kyi sparked international outrage and the US Congress has recently imposed sanctions against Burmese exports.

The military government says it was forced to act because Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy was plotting an armed uprising, but critics reject this charge.