Burma remembers founding father

The cermony was held at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has attended a ceremony to mark the 1947 assassination of her father, the country's leading independence hero.

Suu Kyi below a picture of her father

A solemn-looking Ms Suu Kyi was escorted by a military guard to the Martyrs' Mausoleum, at the foot of Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda.

Wearing a black shawl around her shoulders, she placed flowers at her father's tomb and then knelt to pay respects.

Her father General Aung San and most of his cabinet were gunned down just six months before Burma was declared a sovereign nation in 1948.

The assassination is remembered each year on Martyrs' Day.

Suu Kyi makes few public appearances

It is the only event where Ms Suu Kyi is allowed to take part in official ceremonies.

General Aung San was the founder of Burma's army and is respected as a national hero by the ruling military regime for his leading role in the struggle for independence from Britain.

But Ms Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is considered a traitor by the military.

House arrest

The NLD won a landslide victory in elections in 1990, but the military regime refused to hand over power.

Despite her release from house arrest in 1995, Ms Suu Kyi's movements and political activities are still heavily restricted.

The military refused to recognise the 1990 election

Reports said Ms Suu Kyi arrived at the ceremony in a black sedan accompanied by Colonel Than Tun, her military liaison officer during her six years of house arrest.

Her brother Aung San Oo, who lives in the United States, also attended the ceremony.

Culture Minister Win Sein led the government representatives.

But reports said none of the top generals of the ruling State Peace and Development Council attended.

Ms Suu Kyi was also due to hold a private religious ceremony at the NLD headquarters on Wednesday.