Min Aung Hlaing attends Myanmar’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration for first time since 2021 coup

Kim Aris, the son of Burma’s jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the grandson of the nation’s independence leader General Aung San, spoke during a Martyrs’ Day event held virtually by the National Unity Government (NUG) on Saturday. 

“We honour and remember all the martyrs who gave their lives for Burma’s independence, including my grandfather, General Aung San, and the countless individuals from diverse ethnic communities who stood together in the struggle for freedom in the past, and those who continue to struggle for fundamental freedoms today,” Aris said.

Martyrs’ Day, observed on July 19, commemorates the assassination of Aung San and six other cabinet members, as well as two officials, in 1947 – months before Burma gained independence from British rule on Jan. 4, 1948.