Myanmar’s Suu Kyi Celebrates Birthday With Cake in Court

On Sunday, scattered pro-democracy street protests were held, mostly by young people, in cities including Yangon and Mandalay.

Photos and video on social media showed the protesters carried her picture and banners that read "Freedom from Fear" — the name of a collection of her writings — and "Be in good health, Aung San’s daughter," referring to her father, who led the struggle to free the country from British colonialism in the 1940s.

Anti-government guerrillas in border regions that the army does not control also celebrated her birthday.

Her supporters, including Buddhist monks, posted photos of themselves online showing them displaying the three-fingered salute that is a symbol of resistance.

Opposition leaders earlier released a statement urging people to mark the birthday on Sunday by going to pagodas, churches and mosques to pray for the release of political prisoners.

Some young people in Yangon went to the famous Shwedagon Pagoda amid tight security and heavy rain to pray silently for the release of Suu Kyi and other prisoners.

“I prayed for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained prisoners. I washed a Buddha statue with 77 cups of water to mark Mother Suu's birthday,” Pone Pone, a resident of Yangon, told The Associated Press.

Source: Associated Press