Naypyidaw

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**Naypyidaw**
Demographics
Naypyidaw
Burmese:
- IPA	[nèpjìdɔ̀ mjo̰dɔ̀]
- MLCTS	ne. prany. dau mrui.
Admin. division:	Mandalay Division
Area:	4600^[1] km²
Population:
Coordinates:	19.44N 96.12E
Mayor:	Colonel Thein Nyunt^[2]
Ethnicities:	Bamar, Burmese Chinese, Burmese Indians, Kayin
Religions:	Buddhism, Christianity, Islam

Naypyidaw (Burmese: , also spelt Nay Pyi Taw) is currently the national capital of Myanmar, located in Kyatpyae Village of Pyinmana Township of Mandalay Division.This new captial was founded by Junta Than Shwe according to his astrolger's advice. Kyatpyae in Burmese means "flee under struggle". Naypyidaw means "Royal Palace/City", but is also translated as "abode of kings".^[1] The administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a 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.

1 History
2 Transport
3 Footnotes
4 External links

[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 Burma National Army 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.

The present military government began moving government ministries from Yangon to Naypyidaw at 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 were expected to be mostly in place by the end of February 2006, however due to lack of schools and other amenities, the government employees have been separated from their families for the time being. Military headquarters were located in a separate compound from the government ministries, and civilians are banned from entering either. Vendors are restricted to a commercial zone near the government offices.

The rationale behind the moving the administrative capital to Naypyidaw is unclear. Opposition groups have speculated that the move was due to the military's fear of seaborne invasion from a US-led coalition. Despite the speculation, Naypyidaw is more centrally located strategically than the old capital Yangon and it is also a transportation hub, 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. The official explanation is that Yangon had become too congested and crowded, with little room for future expansion of government offices.^[1] The Indian journalist, Siddharth Varadarajan, who visited Naypyidaw in January, described the vastness of the new capital as "the ultimate insurance against regime change, a masterpiece of urban planning designed to defeat any putative ‘colour revolution’ – not by tanks and water cannons, but by geometry and cartography".^[4]

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 occupation. 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]

Naypyidaw City Hall

[edit] Transport

[edit] Rail

It takes nine hours by train to get from Yangon to Naypyidaw. Trains leave at 9:00 pm and arrive at 6:00 am local time. ^[6]

[edit] Aviation

To serve the new capital, the existing airfield at Ela was upgraded to handle the larger planes. It lies 10 miles southeast of Kyatpyae.

All the local airlines in Myanmar - Myanmar Airways, Yangon Airways, Air Mandalay and the new Air Bagan - have included Naypyidaw as a destination and provide services between it and other cities and towns across Myanmar.

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] Photographs

An Indian journalist, who visited Naypyidaw in January as part of an official delegation, has published a photo blog which provides the first glimpse of what the architecture of the new capital is like.^[8]