Myanmar has imposed a temporary ban on the demolition of buildings over 50 years old in Yangon, in a push to preserve what historians regard as one of Asia’s most distinctive colonial-era cityscape.
“We want to avoid the mistakes other Asian cities have made,” Soe Thein, Myanmar’s industry minister and chairman of its investment commission, told the Financial Times.
Under the umbrella of the Yangon Heritage Trust, a non-governmental organisation set up by historian Thant Myint-U, architects and historians have begun work with the government on a conservation plan.“We hope this will be good for tourism and also good for the people of Yangon,” said Mr Soe Thein.
A century ago, Yangon was one of Asia’s great trading centres and home to a diverse population. Its colourful history lies at the city’s heart, where ancient Buddhist pagodas sit alongside churches and cathedrals, Sunni and Shia mosques, Hindu and Parsee temples, and even a Jewish synagogue.Yangon is home to hundreds of old Victorian and Edwardian-era buildings, including the former premises of Lloyds and HSBC banks, and the all-teak Pegu Club where Rudyard Kipling once stayed.
The moratorium highlights the sense of urgency in the former capital as it struggles with a surge in tourists and soaring demand for residential and office space. Myanmar is attracting intense interest from foreign investors as it rapidly opens up after decades of military rule and diplomatic isolation.
Source: Gwen Robinson in Yangon – Asia Pacific News
