Revelers gather in courtyard of historic Secretariat building, which is technically closed. AYE NE WIN/FACEBOOK
Officially, the historic Secretariat building in downtown Yangon is closed for renovations. But not if you’re related to the ballers and shotcallers of Myanmar’s former military junta.
The labyrinthine Victorian complex was at the center of a social media storm over the weekend after it was used to host a ritzy birthday party for wealthy elite, including the grandson of ex-junta leader Ne Win.
Built in the late 1880s as the seat of the colonial government, the Secretariat is a hallowed site. It was where the beloved independence leader Aung San was assassinated in 1947, and where the separation from Britain was announced the following year.
But images posted to Facebook on Sunday by Aye Ne Win, the grandson of former junta leader Ne Win, who seized power in a 1962 military coup, showed revelers in gowns and suits eating and exploring the interior of the building, which is closed to the public.
Aye Ne Win wrote: “It was such an excellent idea that Ma Thi Thi Thun should hold her birthday party on the grounds of this celebrated Victorian structure, not only because it is the largest courtyard in downtown but also because many guests have fond memories of visiting their fathers and grandfathers when they occupied offices in some of the rooms in this [sic] layers of labyrinth.”
Ma Thi Thi Thun was identified on social media as having family ties to Anawmar Art Group, the current developer of the site. Coconuts Yangon could not independently verify the claims.
In another post, the grandson of Myanmar’s one-time strongman referred to standing “at the very spot on the Government Front Bench where Prime Minister’s question time was conducted by one’s own grandfather.”
The former Secretariat was used to house various ministries and departments up until 2005, when the government moved to Naypyitaw. In 2011, plans by Asian investors to turn the complex into a hotel were scrapped after strong local resistance. Later that year it was leased to Anawmar Art Group for use as a museum.
The party prompted a barrage of criticism on social media, with angry Facebook users arguing that holding the party at such a historic site was inappropriate.
“Can the other citizens celebrate birthday parties there?? IF NOT, THIS IS UNFAIR. U SHOULD NOT HAVE CELEBRATED there becox [sic] this is a historical place,” one wrote.
“You treated National monument as your own properties … Absolutely disgusted,” said another.
Ye Htut, the Minister of Information, was among the thousands who shared the post, making reference to the Yangon Heritage Trust, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the city’s architectural heritage.
But in a statement posted to the social media site, YHT said they had “no control over the site” and no role in decision-making about its leasing.
“Only in late 2014 we were brought in to help draft the Conservation Management Plan, and we thought it a good opportunity to assist in setting conservation guidelines for the proper management of change at the Secretariat Complex.”
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