Statues of Myanmar Independence Leader Aung San Removed from Public Sites

Statues of Gen. Aung San, Myanmar's independence leader, are being removed from public sites across the country. The action has taken place at multiple locations in recent days without any public announcement from authorities.

Photographs taken Thursday at Thu Mingalar Park in Yangon showed one statue still standing beside a raised national flag. Similar statues have been taken down elsewhere in the country. Aung San was assassinated on July 19, 1947, months before Myanmar achieved independence from British and Japanese rule.

He negotiated with both colonial powers and domestic factions during the independence struggle. No official statement has been issued explaining the timing or scope of the statue removals. Reuters reported that the removals coincide with the ongoing detention of democracy figure Aung San Suu Kyi.