Ceremonies have been taking place in Burma to mark the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain. In the capital, Rangoon, celebrations were kept to a minimum, and government leaders used the occasion to call for vigilance against what they termed the interference of neo-colonialists. Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, addressed supporters and repeated her call for dialogue with the military regime which never recognised her victory in elections in 1990. Our south-east Asia correspondent Simon Ingram reports:

There's been little outward sign of festivity to mark Burma's golden jubilee. In truth, given the country's political isolation and the painful effects being felt from the economic crisis in Asia, there's not much for ordinary Burmese to celebrate.

The military leadership attended a flag-raising ceremony shortly before dawn, at which the speech delivered on behalf of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, the successor to the infamous SLORC, urged the nation to be vigilant against neo-colonialists and others who it said wanted to disrupt stability and undermine national consolidation. Security concerns were apparent in the larger than usual number of troops and police visible on the streets, not least around the lakeside residence of Burma's principal opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi.

She told several hundred supporters who'd gathered for the occasion that although the country should be proud of its independence, its lack of human rights and the low living standards of its people were anything but glorious. Outside Burma itself, exiled opposition groups staged protests outside Burmese diplomatic missions abroad.