Myanmar marks 75th anniversary of death of independence hero

The 75th anniversary of the assassination of Myanmar's independence hero and father of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was a muted affair Tuesday, with soldiers patrolling Yangon's streets and anti-junta demonstrators staging small protests in other parts of the country.

Known affectionately as "Bogyoke" (General), Aung San led Myanmar's battle for independence from Britain but was gunned down in July 1947, just months before his dream was finally realised.

His daughter Aung San Suu Kyi -- who was two at the time of his death -- became a democracy figurehead, Nobel laureate, and nemesis of the military. 

Detained since the military's latest power grab in February last year, she is now battling a raft of charges in a junta court and could be jailed for more than 150 years if found guilty on all counts.

Martyrs' Day -- commemorating Aung San's killing -- normally sees hundreds queuing to pay their respects at the Secretariat, a sprawling colonial-era complex in downtown Yangon where local rivals shot dead the general and eight other prominent leaders.

But on Tuesday the roads were largely deserted, with soldiers on watch at the compound, some ordering passersby trying to take selfies near the buildings of red and yellow brick to move along.

The otherwise muted commemorations were broken briefly by the traditional mass honking of car horns across the commercial hub at 10:37 am -- the time Aung San was killed.