Min Aung Hlaing attends Martyrs’ Day ceremony as Aung San Suu Kyi barred again

Mizzima

The 79th Martyrs’ Day ceremony was held under tight security at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Yangon on 19 July, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in attendance while Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero General Aung San, was barred from participating for another year.

Union-level officials, parliament speakers, and newly-appointed military chiefs of staff attended alongside Min Aung Hlaing. The junta’s two vice presidents were notably absent.

Representing General Aung San’s family, Ye Aung Than — grandson of the General’s elder brother, Aung Than — and his wife attended, marking the second consecutive year the couple has represented the family at the ceremony. A wreath sent by General Aung San’s son, Aung San Oo, and his wife was also present.

Security in Yangon was heavily tightened during the ceremony, with increased troop deployments around the Martyrs’ Mausoleum. Residents reported temporary disruptions to mobile networks and communication services in several townships.

Under the previous military regime, Aung San Suu Kyi was occasionally permitted to attend Martyrs’ Day ceremonies while under house arrest. She has been completely barred from the events throughout her detention since the 2021 coup.

Although the junta claims she has been transferred from prison to house confinement, her communications with the outside world remain strictly restricted. Mizzima has been unable to independently verify her health status or current detention conditions.

Despite ongoing “Proof of Life” campaigns demanding concrete evidence of her health and survival, the junta continues to isolate Aung San Suu Kyi from the outside world.

Since the coup, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has faced 19 charges resulting in a cumulative 35-year sentence, which has since been reduced through periodic amnesties, including a partial pardon in 2023 and blanket sentence-reduction orders in 2026, to a remaining total of nearly 19 years.