Organisations call for return of sirens to mark Martyrs Day
Published on Tuesday, 09 July 2013 18:24
A short documentary film on Martyr's Day is being shown at Judson Church in Yangon. (Photo-Kyi Naing)
Civil organisations gathered at Judson Church on Pyay Road in Yangon on Monday to demand that the government replace the siren call on July 19 to commemorate Martyrs Day.
The siren call used to be played by the state-owned Myanmar Radio on Martyrs Day to pay tribute to General Aung San and the other fallen heroes who were assassinated in 1947. The siren call was stopped after the famous student uprising in 1988.
"We want to try our best to let the next generations know more about the good attitudes the martyrs had towards the country. There will always be people who sacrificed themselves for change. We want the next generations to be grateful for their sacrifices," said Bo Bo, a member of White Holding Hands.
Bo Bo also said they will try to find out why the government does not want to use sirens anymore. Civic organisations will also send a short documentary to TV stations featuring people paying respects after hearing the sirens on Martyrs Day.
"We have taught our students about the Martyrs Day. We used to bow our heads to pay respect after hearing the sirens on the Martyrs Day. We brought our students to this ceremony to let them know about this," said a teacher from a handicapped school.
General Aung San, the father of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and eight comrades were assassinated by political rivals in 1947, a year before the country gained her independence. Last week, Deputy Information Minister Pike Htwe told the Parliament that the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television has no plan to resume its siren programme on Martyrs' Day.
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