by May Oo/Feng Yingqiu
YANGON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar government leaders and high ranking officials were commemorating fallen national independence heroes including General Aung San and eight others who were assassinated in 1947 during their struggle to regain the country's independence from the British colonial rule on Tuesday, a sunny morning.
In Nay Pyi Taw, President U Htin Kyaw and the country's First Lady Daw Su Su Lwin present offertories to Senior Monks at a donation ceremony in memory of the martyr leaders.
In the former capital of Yangon, it was a state ceremony annually held at the Martyrs' Mausoleum and this year's event marked the 69th.
With Myanmar's national flag flown at half-mast across the country, people from different walks of life crowded at the Mausoleum to pay their tributes for the country's nine heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country's independence.
The previous Prime Ministers' Office (then called Secretariat) in downtown Yangon, where General Aung San and eight others were assassinated, was also open on the day to the public for memorial visit for the first time in over two decades.
A siren was sounded by Myanmar Radio and Television at 10:37 a.m.local time to observe the time of assassination of the martyred leaders although such memorial activities were absent in the past over two decades.
In spite of being held every year, Tuesday's Martyrs' Day ceremony was marked as historically significant this year for it took place after Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) government took office.
General Aung San, who is father of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, was also founder of Myanmar's armed forces.
The state-sponsored Martyrs' Day ceremony was featured by the attendance of such high-profile figures as State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi laying wreathes at the martyrs' tombs as also status of the bereaved family members of the martyrs, and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing paying tribute to the martyrs.
Such tribute-paying to the country's fallen martyrs by a military leader was never seen before during the previous military government and the first civilian government after 2011.
Other participants include Speaker of the Parliament and House of Nationalities U Mann Win Khaing Than, Speaker of the House of Representatives U Win Myint and Attorney General U Tun Tun Oo.
Min Aung Hlaing's appearance as a military leader was also highlighted by his presence at the Waso (seasonal month) robe offering ceremony on the day to Buddhist monks held at State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's home.
Min Aung Hlaing has been defense chief since the previous U Thein Sein's government took office in 2011 and later promoted to the rank of senior general in March 2013.
He is expected to bridge better relations between the civilian government and the military.
People wondered and welcomed the appearance of civil-military gathering through the state function.
Shwe Yamin U, who is a final year university student, said that as a citizen of Myanmar, she does not know what change will continue to take place but she is sure to welcome all transformation which lead to a better future of the country and the people.
