Family opposes turning Yawnghwe Palace into marketplace
Sao Haymar Thaike, the
daughter of Burma’s first president, Sao Shwe Thaike, has spoken out against a
plan to convert Yawnghwe Palace compound into a marketplace.
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| Photo by SHAN- Yawnghwe Palace entrance |
She told Shan Herald
that she was unhappy with the scheduled project, which was laid out by the Ministry
of Hotels and Tourism.
“I heard the news that they
are preparing to create a market in our palace compound,” she said. “I am so
worried that they will reduce our historical property to such a level. I
totally disagree with this plan.”
According to Nay Myo, a
National League for Democracy MP representing Yawnghwe Township, no building
operations have yet taken place, and his party would seek to prevent the conversion
from happening.
“If the plan persists, we
will have to object to it,” he said.
Yawnghwe Palace, or Yawnghwe
Haw, was the residence of Sao Shwe Thaike, an ethnic Shan prince who became the
first president of the Union of Burma in 1948 on the day that the country
gained independence from Britain. He was deposed and arrested when Ne Win
seized power in 1962, and died in prison soon after.
Since then, Yawnghwe Palace,
situated in Nyaungshwe near Inle Lake, has stood as a museum, and is popular
with tourists.
Sao Haymar Thaike said that
her mother, Sao Nang Mya Win, the first wife of Sao Shwe Thaike, requested the Burmese
government to return the palace to the family, however they had never received
a response.
During the era of Burmese military
dictatorship, many historical Shan buildings were destroyed; others crumbled
under decades of neglect. Arguably the grandest Shan palace of all, Kengtung Palace, which was built in
1903, was demolished in 1991.
By Shan Herald
Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: Culture, News
