A ceremony was held in Sittwe on September 9 to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the death of Rakhine monk and colonial independence icon Sayadaw U Ottama.
Members of the Rakhine State government offered food to monks in the morning, and then laid wreaths at U Ottama Park.
The state chief minister also presided over a poetry reading and arts, essay and knowledge contests.
“Rakhine martyr Sayadaw Ashin U Ottama was a respectable person and the first martyr who led the revolution against the British colonists for Myanmar’s independence,” said Rakhine State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu.
Born in 1879, U Ottama wad periodically jailed throughout his lifetime for leading a movement against the British. He encouraged monks to get involved in the fight for independence. He died at the age of 60 in 1939.
Rakhine youth writer Wai Hin Aung called on the government to designate U Ottama Day a national public holiday.
Commemorative events were also held in other townships throughout Rakhine State and in Yangon.
