Myanmar's government held a memorial ceremony in the city of Yangon on Sunday for U Ko Ni, a prominent lawyer who used to work for the country’s ruling party – the National League for Democracy (NLD) – and taxi driver U Ne Win who were both shot dead at Yangon International Airport on January 29.

State Counselor and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, senior members of the NLD and government officials were present at the ceremony, among more than a thousand attendants.

U Ko Ni, a legal adviser of the NLD, was shot in his head by a gunman and died at Yangon International Airport, following his return from Indonesia.

The police said that the murder was driven by "personal grudge" two businessmen held against U Ko Ni over his political stances.

In her address, Aung San Suu Kyi hailed U Ko Ni for his contributions to the promotion of the rule of law in Myanmar, particularly his unremitting efforts to call for the amendment of the 2008 constitution. 

She also spoke highly of U Ne Win for his bravery during last month's assassination, when the taxi driver tried to stop the gunman from escaping and received a fatal shot in his abdomen.

Aung San Suu Kyi pledged that authorities will work hard to maintain peace, stability and safety in the Southeast Asian country.

The 65-year-old lawyer was a strong opponent of Myanmar's four sets of "Race and Religion Protection" laws proposed by Buddhist nationalist group Ma Ba Tha and approved by the previous U Thein Sein government. He was working with the NLD to amend or replace sections of the controversial law widely criticized as undemocratic.

Three suspects, including the shooter, have been arrested since the incident, but the chief plotter is still at large.

U Ne Win, an ethnic Chinese, was named the first national model of Myanmar in 2017 by the government.