Yangon heritage threatened as developers rush through controversial demolitions ahead of transition
Yangon maintains a list of 189 recognised heritage sites, but lacks legislation to protect the buildings, many of which have rotted into disrepair or been bulldozed for new development.
Construction teams have torn down a clutch of Yangon heritage buildings in recent months, Myanmar conservation experts said Thursday, raising fears that developers are rushing through controversial demolitions before an Aung San Suu Kyi-led government takes power.
Myanmar’s main city is in the throes of a construction boom, sparked by economic and political reforms under a quasi-civilian government led by former junta generals, which is in the process of ceding power to Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party following its landslide election win in November.
We’ve seen a rise in the number of demolitions, including six or seven buildings downtown, and also a lot of inappropriate new construction
But historian Thant Myint-U, whose Yangon Heritage Trust has lobbied to preserve the city’s crumbling colonial era architecture, has raised alarm over a recent surge in the destruction of old buildings.
“Over the past few months we’ve seen a rise in the number of demolitions, including six or seven buildings downtown, and also a lot of inappropriate new construction,” Thant Myint-U said.
The recently razed buildings include a prominent teakwood house, police station and shophouse, the Trust said.
Thant Myint-U said he suspects the uptick in demolitions is linked to the country’s tense power transition.
“People don’t really know what’s on the other side of this change of government... so I think people want to rush through whatever they can,” he said, adding that he expects the new parliament to tighten building codes and regulations.