• Burmese
Friday, July 18, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
31 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Conservation Strategy Drafted for Historic Rangoon

Hpyo Wai Tha by Hpyo Wai Tha
June 6, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Conservation Strategy Drafted for Historic Rangoon
4.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

[meteor_slideshow slideshow=”historic-rangoon” metadata=”width: 625, height:360″]


RANGOON—A conference on protecting the iconic colonial-era buildings that hark back to Rangoon’s illustrious past has warned that urgent action is needed to save the city’s century-old heritage.

“Towards a Conservation Strategy for Yangon in the 21st Century” is the very first conference of its kind aiming at protecting Burma’s national heritage. Organized by the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) non-governmental organization on Friday, the event aims to prepare a strategy to be presented to the Naypyidaw authorities in the next few weeks.

RelatedPosts

Martyrs’ Day Openly Commemorated by Thousands Nationwide

Martyrs’ Day Openly Commemorated by Thousands Nationwide

July 19, 2016
17.3k
Migrants’ Hopes and Fears in Little Burma

Migrants’ Hopes and Fears in Little Burma

July 16, 2016
10.3k
YCDC Takes to the Streets to Sterilize Stray Dogs

YCDC Takes to the Streets to Sterilize Stray Dogs

July 15, 2016
7.4k

“We need to protect what we have, urgently. If we do nothing, we will lose our heritage within a few short years and there will be no opportunity to turn back [the clock],” said Dr. Thant Myint-U, the founder and chairman of the YHT, in his opening remarks.

Among the points included in the draft strategy are passing a heritage conservation law and listing valuable buildings that are currently in private hands, said Mie Mie Tin, deputy director of the Urban and Regional Planning Division of the Ministry of Construction, who also submitted a paper on heritage conservation.

“We want to see Rangoon as a city of the future, but we want to protect our heritage and preserve the best of what we have. It’s very important,” agreed Myint Swe, the chief minister for Rangoon Region, in his opening speech.

Myint Swe added that he and his colleagues were ready to listen to all ideas and recommendations from local and international experts attending the conference.

Topics discussed at the day-long event included dealing with the challenge of urban conservation, setting a framework on regulations for preservation and planning, and exploring the historic urban landscape while allowing for development.

Thant Myint-U said that conservation efforts should not be seen as holding back development, and it is vital to promote and protect Rangoon’s old buildings in a way that will raise awareness of its cosmopolitan past and multicultural present.

Burma’s former capital retains one of the best colonial-era cityscapes in the world with 189 listed buildings and 11 ancient monuments, according to Mie Mie Tin.

But most of these century-old buildings are dilapidated from long neglect and remain in danger of having to be demolished to make way for looming development—perhaps “within the next year or two,” as the YHT information handout put it.

Close to the waterfront —along Strand Road and Lower Pansodan Road (formerly Phayre Street)—is a wonderful collection of period buildings, including the old offices of Hong Kong-Shanghai Bank, Lloyds, Standard and Charted, Thomas Cook, Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, Bombay Burma Trading Company as well as the Strand Hotel itself, according to the YHT.

Other buildings included the all-teak Pegu Club—where Rudyard Kipling spent the night before writing “Mandalay”—and the grand red-brick Secretariat, with its Venetian towers and elegant porticos, where Burmese independence hero Aung San, the father of currently opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was assassinated in 1947.

“As the country opens up, investors will surely come,” said Thaw Kaung, the ex-librarian of Rangoon University’s Central Library, who attended the conference. “I’m afraid that these old buildings will be torn down to make way for development.”

Thant Myint-U told The Irrawaddy that even though Burma is now at an economic watershed, he remains optimistic that Rangoon has the potential to become one of the best-preserved cities on the continent.

“Rangoon could possibly lose her heritage as other Southeast Asian cities have done,” he said. “But with a good plan and strategy to preserve old buildings, it could be on the list of Asia’s most beautiful and livable cities in five or ten years.”

The respected historian also said that it is crucial not to displace local communities as a result of attempts to preserve old buildings. Many dilapidated structures are currently inhabited by squatter families who stand to lose their homes when restoration work begins.

“We need to move forward with a conservation strategy, create jobs for people and help and not displace local communities, celebrate the city’s diversity, invite international investment, encourage tourism and test new models on private and public partnership,” said Thant Myint-U.

“We need to make sure the city remains for the Burmese who live here and that they really feel comfortable living in it—not just one more Asian city for rich people,” said Michael  J. Montesano, a visiting research fellow from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Multimedia
Hpyo Wai Tha

Hpyo Wai Tha

Similar Picks:

A Chronology of the Kachin Conflict
Military

A Chronology of the Kachin Conflict

by The Irrawaddy
November 20, 2014
42.8k

On Wednesday, the Burma Army shelled a Kachin rebel base killing 22 cadets, making it one of the deadliest incidents...

Read moreDetails
Astrologists Tell the Future
Photo Essay

Astrologists Tell the Future, Offer Hope in Burma

by San Yamin Aung
September 26, 2013
4.7k

Fortune-tellers around the world tap into a natural desire to know what’s in store next, and the Burmese seem to...

Read moreDetails
The Last of the Old Irrawaddy Flotilla
Photo Essay

The Last of the Old Irrawaddy Flotilla

by Tim Willasey Wilsey
March 4, 2013
12.4k

If you go on Burma’s Irrawaddy River you can find 70-year-old, Scottish-built paddle steamers still plying the waters—the last of...

Read moreDetails
Iron Cross
Photo Essay

Iron Cross, Burma’s Biggest Band, Rocks Mae Sot

by The Irrawaddy
January 14, 2013
4.3k

After two decades as Burma's hottest rock band, Iron Cross plays its first concert for an appreciative crowd of thousands...

Read moreDetails
8888 Remembered: Archival Images Offer Glimpse of Burma’s Uprising
Military

8888 Remembered: Archival Images Offer Glimpse of Burma’s Uprising

by The Irrawaddy
August 8, 2015
27.7k

The Irrawaddy revisits the 1988 pro-democracy uprising with this series of archival images.

Read moreDetails
Kengtung—Shan State’s Hidden Gem
Photo Essay

Kengtung—Shan State’s Hidden Gem

by Hseng Noung Lintner
June 7, 2012
4.6k

The picturesque eastern Shan State town of Kengtung lies just three hours from the Thai border and is becoming a...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Suu Kyi Defends 'Reckless' Comments

Suu Kyi Defends 'Reckless' Comments

Student Union ‘to Register or Risk Jail’

Student Union ‘to Register or Risk Jail’

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

3 days ago
1.4k
Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

23 hours ago
1.2k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Power Transfer Looms, but Real Control to Remain With Regime Boss

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Karen Fighters Push for Myanmar Junta Outpost on Thai Border

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Belarus Universities Teach Myanmar Junta How to Kill: JFM

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.