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Aung San makes comeback on campaign trail
His image is emblazoned on T-shirts and posters on Myanmar’s campaign trail, but the young revolutionary in a military cap and greatcoat is not standing for election.
His image is emblazoned on T-shirts and posters on Myanmar’s campaign trail, but the young revolutionary in a military cap and greatcoat is not standing for election.
He is Aung San Suu Kyi’s late father, the country’s independence hero. “I am the daughter of General Aung San,” Suu Kyi repeatedly tells supporters.
From flyers on taxi windscreens to stickers worn on people's faces, pictures of the father and daughter are now widely seen in the country. Their rapid return to the public eye is the most visible sign of reform under a new nominally civilian regime that took power last year.
Aung San, who was mysteriously assassinated in 1947, remains a potent symbol of pride in Myanmar.
“The previous military regime had tried to reduce Aung San’s visibility and downplay his legacy,” said Myanmar expert Richard Horsey.
