(Yangon, 19th) Statues of Myanmar’s independence hero General Aung San have recently been removed one after another in many parts of the country, sparking public suspicion that the Myanmar government is attempting to downplay the political connection between this founding father and his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi, while erasing symbols of the former elected government from public spaces.
Aung San had both cooperated with and resisted British and Japanese colonialists in the struggle for Myanmar’s independence, but was assassinated on July 19, 1947, before he could witness the country’s independence. Regarded as the father of modern Myanmar, his statues have been erected nationwide for decades.
This week, a large Aung San statue erected about 10 years ago in Yangon’s Su Mingala Park was removed and the original site was replaced with new turf. Aung San statues in Yangon’s Myaukanda Park and the town of Mawlamyine in Mon State in the south were also dismantled in early this month and at the end of June respectively.
A Myanmar government spokesperson clarified that since 2016, authorities have reviewed Aung San statues in more than 100 townships and discovered that some statues’ proportions and appearances were inaccurate and “did not match the dignity of this important historical figure.” Therefore, systemic maintenance was initiated, with hopes that future generations can understand national history in an accurate way.
However, some analysts believe the removals may have political motives. During Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy government’s rule (2016-2020), Aung San’s statues were widely erected and his portrait was restored on banknotes, aiming to reshape his historical status.
Myanmar affairs expert Moe Thuzar pointed out that since the 2021 coup, the military has tried to strip Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD of political influence, but Aung San, as an independence hero, is already deeply cherished in the public memory.
An unnamed Yangon resident said, “They can remove the statues, but they can never erase Aung San’s image from people’s hearts.”
Nevertheless, Aung San’s historical status has always been disputed in ethnic minority areas. Some ethnic minorities have their own heroes and believe that the NLD’s erection of Aung San statues in these regions imposes a Burman-centered national historical narrative on them.
This week, a large Aung San statue erected about 10 years ago in Yangon’s Su Mingala Park was removed and the original site was replaced with new turf. Aung San statues in Yangon’s Myaukanda Park and the town of Mawlamyine in Mon State in the south were also dismantled in early this month and at the end of June respectively.
A Myanmar government spokesperson clarified that since 2016, authorities have reviewed Aung San statues in more than 100 townships and discovered that some statues’ proportions and appearances were inaccurate and “did not match the dignity of this important historical figure.” Therefore, systemic maintenance was initiated, with hopes that future generations can understand national history in an accurate way.
However, some analysts believe the removals may have political motives. During Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy government’s rule (2016-2020), Aung San’s statues were widely erected and his portrait was restored on banknotes, aiming to reshape his historical status.
Myanmar affairs expert Moe Thuzar pointed out that since the 2021 coup, the military has tried to strip Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD of political influence, but Aung San, as an independence hero, is already deeply cherished in the public memory.
An unnamed Yangon resident said, “They can remove the statues, but they can never erase Aung San’s image from people’s hearts.”
Nevertheless, Aung San’s historical status has always been disputed in ethnic minority areas. Some ethnic minorities have their own heroes and believe that the NLD’s erection of Aung San statues in these regions imposes a Burman-centered national historical narrative on them.