Suu Kyi a no-show at Myanmar Martyr's Day

Suu Kyi has attended the Martyr's Day since 1996

YANGON, Myanmar -- Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was not present Thursday at the country's annual Martyr's Day ceremony -- an occasion she has attended for the past six years.

The Nobel peace prize winner has been under de facto house arrest since September last year.

Martyr's Day, an event commemorating her assassinated father and national independence hero, General Aung San, was the only official event she is allowed to attend.

There was no indication the government had barred the opposition leader from attending the meeting.

Reports say there has been mounting speculation that she was trying to snub the country's military regime by not showing up.

The opposing sides have been holding talks in recent months and a no-show, the speculation went, would indicate these were not going well.

Instead Suu Kyi remained at her suburban home with no explanation for skipping the ceremony.

'She asked us to go'

Representatives of her National League for Democracy (NLD) did however attend to pay tribute to her slain father.

"This is her decision. She asked us to go there," one NLD official told the Associated Press when asked whether she had been prevented from coming.

He refused to elaborate on her decision.

Minister for Culture Win Sein represented the military government at the ceremony, a solemn occasion held each year to commemorate nine people assassinated on July 19, 1947.

Aung San, six of his cabinet members and two others were gunned down while they were holding a meeting six months before Myanmar -- then known as Burma - gained independence from Great Britain.

The NLD said it was planning to hold another, private ceremony at party headquarters later Thursday.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.