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| Win Tin, Myanmar democracy veteran, mourned by hundreds | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Thousands of mourners have paid their respects at the funeral of Myanmar pro-democracy veteran Win Tin. | |
| A founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD), he served 19 years in prison for his opposition to military rule in Myanmar, formerly called Burma. | |
| Released in 2008, Win Tin was seen as a close aide to Aung San Suu Kyi but also held the power to disagree with her. | Released in 2008, Win Tin was seen as a close aide to Aung San Suu Kyi but also held the power to disagree with her. |
| He died in a Yangon hospital early on Monday morning after suffering from health problems. | He died in a Yangon hospital early on Monday morning after suffering from health problems. |
| Win Tin's body lay in state during the afternoon at a cemetery on the outskirts of Yangon. | |
| Aung San Suu Kyi and other activists, political figures and many ordinary citizens filed quietly past. | |
| "Whenever there are clouds above, he will always be our blue sky," one man told AFP news agency. | |
| Freed from Insein prison six years ago, Win Tin continued to wear his blue prison shirt as a protest because others were still being held. | Freed from Insein prison six years ago, Win Tin continued to wear his blue prison shirt as a protest because others were still being held. |
| Mourners wore blue prison uniforms as a tribute to him and carried portraits to a memorial service, reports the BBC's Jonah Fisher from Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. | Mourners wore blue prison uniforms as a tribute to him and carried portraits to a memorial service, reports the BBC's Jonah Fisher from Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. |
| Much of Win Tin's time in prison was spent in solitary confinement and his sentence was twice extended. | Much of Win Tin's time in prison was spent in solitary confinement and his sentence was twice extended. |
| He was known for speaking his mind - not being afraid to criticise members of his own party, in particular those he saw as being too reverential towards Aung San Suu Kyi. | He was known for speaking his mind - not being afraid to criticise members of his own party, in particular those he saw as being too reverential towards Aung San Suu Kyi. |
| Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said Win Tin's death was an "irreplaceable loss" for the South East Asian nation. | |
| "His bravery in the face of cruel hardship continues to echo through Burma's fragile reform process," he said in a statement. | "His bravery in the face of cruel hardship continues to echo through Burma's fragile reform process," he said in a statement. |
| Two years after his release, Myanmar held its first elections in 20 years. | Two years after his release, Myanmar held its first elections in 20 years. |
| The NLD boycotted the polls but re-entered the political fold as the government embarked on a process of reform that saw some political prisoners freed and media censorship relaxed. | The NLD boycotted the polls but re-entered the political fold as the government embarked on a process of reform that saw some political prisoners freed and media censorship relaxed. |
| The party now has a small presence in parliament and its key focus is the general election due in 2015. | The party now has a small presence in parliament and its key focus is the general election due in 2015. |