MPs demand halt to marketplace at Yawnghwe Palace
More than 60 members of the Shan
State parliament have signed a petition, demanding a halt to plans by the Ministry
of Hotels and Tourism to convert the Yawnghwe Palace compound into a
marketplace.
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| Photo SHAN- Yawnghwe Haw |
Nang Khin Tar Yi, an MP from the Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy (SNLD) representing Hsenwi Township, said that they had
sent a letter on November 7 to the Shan State chief minister and the minister
of hotels and tourism.
“Every political party represented in
the Shan State regional parliament signed the petition,” she said. “That
includes ethnic Shan, Palaung [Ta’ang], Pa-oh, Lahu and Danu MPS, as well as lawmakers
from the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the ruling National League
for Democracy.
“We have asked the Shan State chief minister about
this issue, and he told us that U Ohn Maung [Minister of Hotels and Tourism] had
informed him that the project will be discontinued. We then requested that they
release an announcement to that effect, but to date no action has been taken.
Now we have served them an official letter demanding work on the site be
stopped.”
Located in Taunggyi
District, close to the popular resort of Inle Lake, Yawnghwe Palace, known
locally as 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 Gen. Ne Win seized power in 1962, and died in prison soon after.
“Yawnghwe Palace is our historical property,” said
SNLD’s Nang Khin Tar Yi. “It’s our royal residence. It represents our culture,
and we do not want our culture and traditions to be disvalued or destroyed.”
During the era of Burmese
military dictatorship, many historical Shan buildings were razed; others
crumbled under decades of neglect. Arguably the grandest Shan palace of all,
Kengtung Palace, which was built in 1903, was demolished in 1991.
Nang Khin Tar Yi called on
both the state and union governments, as well as every concerned citizen, to
work together to protect to the country’s heritage.
At the time of reporting,
no formal action had yet been taken.
Tags: Culture, News
