YANGON (Xinhua): Myanmar celebrated the 77th Anniversary of Independence Day with various events across the country on Saturday.
The events included Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) product fairs, sports competitions, presentations of awards to winners of essay and poetry contests, food donation programs, and inauguration of local infrastructure projects.
A military band parade to mark the Independence Day was also held in capital Nay Pyi Taw on Saturday, according to the country's state media reports.
In his Independence Day message, Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that the entire national population, with a nationalist spirit rooted in ethnic pride, united in solidarity to resist and overthrow colonialists and fascists.
As a result, on Jan. 4, 1948, Myanmar regained its independence and re-established itself as a sovereign nation, he said, adding the country marked the 77th anniversary of this achievement on Saturday.
He also noted that the ultimate goal of the SAC is to successfully hold a free, fair, and multi-party democratic general election.
He pledged to ensure that the election would be conducted systematically, fairly, and with dignity, and to transfer state responsibilities to the government formed as a result of the election.
In this connection, about 6,000 prisoners were pardoned on Saturday, official reports said.
The pardoned prisoners included 5,864 from Myanmar and 180 from other countries, the orders said. The council also reduced some prisoners' sentences, it added.
Last year, more than 9,000 prisoners were granted amnesty on the country's 76th Independence Day anniversary. - Xinhua
