Naypyidaw

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Naypyidaw
Location on map of Myanmar
Naypyidaw
Burmese:
- IPA [nèpjìdɔ̀ mjo̰dɔ̀]
- MLCTS ne. prany. dau mrui.
Admin. division: Mandalay Division
Area: 4600[1] km²
Population:
Coordinates: 19°44′N 96°12′E
Mayor: Colonel Thein Nyunt[2]
Demographics
Ethnicities: Bamar, Burmese Chinese, Burmese Indians, Kayin
Religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam

Naypyidaw (also spelt Nay Pyi Taw) (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ne.prany. dau mrui.) is currently the national capital of Myanmar, located in Kyatpyae Village of Pyinmana Township of Mandalay Division. "Kyat pyae" in Burmese means Flee under struggle".


The meaning of Naypyidaw is the Royal Palace City of the Kingdom.Neither the residence of Burmese Kings nor Palace was bulit in Pyinmana before. But the Real Burmese Royal City was Yadanarpon Naypyidaw of KongBoung Dynasty in Mandalay.The administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a militarized greenfield site two miles west of Pyinmana on 6 November 2005. Naypyidaw is approximately 320 kilometers north of Yangon.

The capital's official name was announced on Armed Forces Day in March 2006.This Royal New Capital of Palace is named according to the Than Shwe's new Palace.


Contents

[edit] History

Pyinmana was the base of the Burma Independence Army (later renamed and reorganized into the Burma National Army by the Japanese.) It was in Pyinmana that the army and its officers were trained. Later the BNA changed sides, aiding the allies with guerilla warfare, and the operations were seen as a victory by the Burmese. Pyinmana became an icon in the Burmese Army, as the place where 'superior invaders' were defeated by the Burmese. Many have said that this is one of the reasons why the current junta chose the Pyinmana region - a place from which superior invaders (in this case, the USA) would be defeated if Myanmar was invaded again.

The present military junta began moving government ministries from Yangon to Naypyidaw at exactly 06:37 on 6 November 2005. Five days later, at 11 a.m., a second convoy of 1,100 military trucks carrying 11 military battalions and 11 government ministries left Yangon.[3] The ministries are expected to be mostly in place by the end of February 2006, however due to a lack of schools, the families of government employees have been separated. Military headquarters will be in a separate compound from the government ministries, and civilians will be banned from entering either. Vendors will be restricted to a commercial zone near the government offices. The usage of mobile phones and satellite television will be curtailed in the new capital.

The rationale for moving the capital to Naypyidaw is unclear, yet some speculation has been made. Naypyidaw is better located strategically than Yangon, in that it is further away from the coast. This is considered desirable, in case petroleum-rich Myanmar comes under attack. This scenario was denied by the government of Senior General Than Shwe, but a regime change is advocated by some exiled Burmese dissidents. Naypyidaw is also a transportation hub, strategically located adjacent to the Shan, Chin and Karen states, and it is felt that a stronger military and governmental presence nearby might provide stability to those chronically turbulent regions. Others believe that the move was motivated out of paranoia that an urban uprising would pit the vast numbers of extremely poor and ethnically diverse residents of Yangon against the junta. The secretive regime may have wanted to rule from an area free of foreign-operated telecommunications, to thwart espionage. Finally, some have suggested the move was due to the counsel of Than Shwe's personal astrologer.[4] The supposed reason is that an astrologer predicted that the present government would fall at the end of February 2006, unless the capital was moved. This claim is supported by the enigmatic repetition of the number 11 in connection with the move. The Irrawaddy, a respected monthly printed in Thailand observed: “People in Rangoon ridiculed the decision and drew attention to an apt Burmese proverb: a tiger changes his habitat only to meet his death.”

On 27 March 2006, more than 12,000 troops marched in the new capital in its first public event: a massive military parade to mark Armed Forces Day—which is the anniversary of Burma's 1945 uprising against Japanese occupiers. Filming was restricted to the concrete parade ground, over which loomed three enormous sculptures—depictions of the Burmese kings Anawrahta, Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya U Aung Zeya, considered the three most important kings in Burmese history. The city was officially named Naypyidaw during the ceremonies.[5]

[edit] Transport

It takes nine hours by train to get from Yangon to Naypyidaw. Trains leave at 9pm and arrive at 6am. [6]

In mid-March 2006, Air Mandalay launched a service flying between Yangon and Naypyidaw. On 5 June 2006, Air Mandalay launched a service between Naypyidaw, and Thandwe (Sandoway) and Sittwe (Akyab) in Rakhine State, to give civil servants better access to western Myanmar. [7]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Pedrosa, Veronica. "Myanmar's 'seat of kings'", Al Jazeera, 2006-11-20. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
  2. ^ News Briefs. The Myanmar Times. Myanmar Consolidated Media (2006-03-20). Retrieved on 2006-04-01.
  3. ^ "The Move to Pyinmana", Bangkok Post, 2005-12-04. Retrieved on 2005-12-07.
  4. ^ "Astrologer behind capital shift", New Straits Times, 11 September 2005, p. 12.
  5. ^ "Burma's new capital stages parade", BBC News, BBC, 2006-03-27. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
  6. ^ Import, export licensing moving to Naypyidaw. The Myanmar Times. Myanmar Consolidated Media (2006-05-29). Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
  7. ^ News Briefs (New air destinations). The Myanmar Times. Myanmar Consolidated Media (2006-06-12). Retrieved on 2006-06-29.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../n/a/y/Naypyidaw.html"