• Burmese
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °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

Karenni Activists Threaten to Destroy Aung San Statue as Talks Collapse

Lawi Weng by Lawi Weng
February 18, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Karenni rights activists and members of a committee tasked with putting up a statue of Gen. Aung San meet in Loikaw on Feb. 17, 2019. / Progressive Karenni People’s Force / Facebook

Karenni rights activists and members of a committee tasked with putting up a statue of Gen. Aung San meet in Loikaw on Feb. 17, 2019. / Progressive Karenni People’s Force / Facebook

9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Karenni activists threatened to tear down a statue of General Aung San in Loikaw, Kayah State on Monday after negotiations with a committee overseeing the monument’s construction broke down, according to local sources.

Six representatives of a group that has been protesting the placement of the statue of the independence hero in a park in the city met with members of the Gen. Aung San Bronze Statue Implementation Committee on Monday, but the meeting came to an abrupt halt at around 11.30 a.m. when members of the Implementation Committee walked out.

The meeting was supposed to find a compromise solution to the conflict over the statue, which many in the Karenni community see as a symbol of the central government’s authority and an attempt to impose on them an official historical narrative. The Implementation Committee comprises members of local civil organizations that support the presence of a statue of Gen. Aung San in Loikaw.

RelatedPosts

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

June 19, 2025
804
Myanmar’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Marks 80th Birthday in Junta Jail

Myanmar’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Marks 80th Birthday in Junta Jail

June 19, 2025
536
On Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday, Recalling the Cake That Rattled the Junta

On Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday, Recalling the Cake That Rattled the Junta

June 18, 2025
1.2k

Di Di, a spokesperson for the anti-statue group, said, “We discussed the background of the statue; we even told them why are protesting against it, but when we tried to discuss the future of the statue project, they left the meeting.”

He added, “They told us at the meeting that their involvement [in the project] was limited to bringing the statue to the town, and putting it up. So, their job was done. [They said] if we want to remove the statue, we need to negotiate with the government.”

According to a statement released by the activists, the meeting was canceled without any agreement being reached because the Implementation Committee did not want to take responsibility for the future of the statue, and its members walked out.

Implementation Committee member U Win Aung told The Irrawaddy on Monday that, “[The activists] focused their discussion solely on how they could remove the statue. For our part, we were the ones that built it. So, we could not accept their idea.”

He added that the pro-statue side had many supporters, as well.

“We walked out of the meeting as we did not believe it could produce any positive results,” he said.

U Win Aung said his team initially solicited donations to fund the project from local residents. The effort raised 20 million kyats (about US$13,000). However, this would not cover the cost of the statue, so the committee sought funding from the state government.

He said the state government donated 40 million kyats to the project.

“I wanted to tell to persons who oppose the project that Gen. Aung San was a respected leader both internationally and inside the country. Allowing the statue will be positive for our region,” U Win Aung said.

I call on them to stop protesting against the project, he said.

In light of the protesters’ threat, U Win Aung called on the state government to protect the statue, saying he and his committee had done what was asked of them by delivering the statue.

Saying negotiations had proved fruitless, local right activists vowed to launch another protest in the town soon. They renewed their call for the state government to remove the statue.

They said they would issue another statement soon to inform the public of their plans regarding the statue.

“If the government refuses to remove the statue, we will do it ourselves,” Di Di said.

“This is an important issue. The government needs to resolve it as soon as possible. But the government’s recent actions show a lack of responsibility. We feel that by their actions they are ignoring our voice, and even insulting us,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Ethnic rightsGen Aung SanHistoryKarenni rightsStatues
Lawi Weng

Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Junta Boss Attends Opening of Replica of Shan Palace Demolished by Previous Regime
Burma

Myanmar Junta Boss Attends Opening of Replica of Shan Palace Demolished by Previous Regime

by The Irrawaddy
May 13, 2024
13.3k

The old Kengtung Haw was a symbol of Shan identity until it was razed by the previous junta in 1991—a...

Read moreDetails
Six Key Points About Myanmar’s Newly Enforced Conscription Law
Analysis

Six Key Points About Myanmar’s Newly Enforced Conscription Law

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
11.9k

What does the legislation entail, and why is the junta implementing it for the first time since its promulgation 65...

Read moreDetails
Why Shan State’s Formidable Armies Have Shunned the Fight Against Myanmar’s Junta     
Guest Column

Why Shan State’s Formidable Armies Have Shunned the Fight Against Myanmar’s Junta     

by Bertil Lintner
March 14, 2024
11.6k

After six decades of political wrangling, assassinations and opium trading, Shan forces remain bitterly divided, lacking a common vision for...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand
Guest Column

Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand

by R. J. Aung and Tony Waters
November 18, 2023
10.9k

After the 2021 coup the donors, NGOs and CSOs of ‘Peaceland’ decamped from Yangon to Thailand, but their Western, ‘we-know-best’...

Read moreDetails
Once Upon a Time in… Myanmar
Books

Once Upon a Time in… Myanmar

by David Scott Mathieson
October 14, 2024
9.5k

American photojournalist Greg Constantine’s ‘Ek Khaale’ project assembles old photos and documents to reclaim the Rohingya community’s identity.

Read moreDetails
Commentary

Myanmar’s ‘White Flag Military’ in Chaos in Northern Shan State

by Aung Zaw
January 11, 2024
9.5k

Independence Day celebrations last week were overshadowed by the biggest defeat in the Myanmar military’s modern history.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
USDP and military-appointed lawmakers attend Parliament in Naypyitaw. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Military, USDP, ANP Withhold Nominees For Constitution Amendment Committee

Indian army soldiers keep guard along a highway on the outskirts of Srinagar, September 29, 2016. / Reuters

Indian Troops Seal Off India-Myanmar Border

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

1 week ago
1.9k
The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

5 days ago
804

Most Read

  • New Law on Civil Servants by Myanmar’s Parallel Gov’t Troubles Observers

    New Law on Civil Servants by Myanmar’s Parallel Gov’t Troubles Observers

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Scrambles for Chinese Energy Investment as Lights Go Out

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

    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.