Mawlamyine
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Mawlamyaing |
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  Mawlamyaing
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Myanmar (Burma) |
| Admin. division | Mon State |
| Population | |
| - Total | 300,000 |
| - Ethnicities | Bamar, Burmese Chinese, Burmese Indians, Kayin, 75% Mon |
| - Religions | Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hindu |
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Mawlamyine or Mawlamyaing (Burmese: ; MLCTS: mau la. mruing mrui.; IPA: [mɔ̀ləmjàiN mjo̰]; formerly Moulmein or "Maulmain") is the capital and largest city in Mon State, Myanmar.
Its name, originally means ruined eye, was an ancient Mon district where the Mon king lost his powerful eye. It is now famous for its seaport, market, pagodas, newly constructed bridge and Mawlamyaing University. It has a main railway station which communicates with the Burmese capital in the north and Southern town of Ye. The old Death railway is also a diverted route from Mawlamyaing at the town of Tanbyuzayat.
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[edit] History
Mawlamyaing became the first capital of British Burma between 1827 and 1852 after Taninthayi (formerly Tenasserim) and Rakhine (formerly Arakan) were ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Yandaboo at the end of the First Anglo-Burmese War, primarily because it was a major port for the extraction of teak. Today, Mawlamyaing is famous for its tropical fruits and for its cuisine as indicated in the popular Burmese expression, "Mandalay for the speaking, Yangon for the bragging, and Mawlamyine for the eating".
It is probably best known to English speakers through the opening lines of Rudyard Kipling's poem Mandalay:
- "By the old Moulmein pagoda
- Lookin' Eastward to the sea
- There's a Burma girl a-settin'
- and I know she thinks o' me".
Mawlamyaing is also the setting of George Orwell's famous 1936 memoir Shooting an Elephant. He served there as sub-divisional police officer. The essay opens with the striking words:
- In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people -- the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me.
During colonial times, Moulmein had a substantial Anglo-Burmese population; an area of the city was known as 'Little England' due to the large Anglo-Burmese community, many of them engaged in the running of rubber plantations; however nowadays this has dwindled to all but a handful of families as most have left for the UK or Australia.
[edit] Modern History
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Mawlamyaing is situated in the Salween River delta, where the Belu Kyun Island closes the mouth of Sanlwin River which finds its route to the Andaman Sea. However, in the Eastern extension, Mawlamyaing is bounded by the Ataran River, where it flows into the Sanlwin River just before it enters sea. Since the earlier time, there was a plan to make Mawlamyaing serves as a connection directly by rail or motor bridge to the capital Yangon. But due to the gradual extinction of the historical culture of Mawlamyaing District, the construction of a bridge that connects Mawlamyaing and Mottama was unsuccessful. In the development program provided in the era of SLORC, Mawlamyaing was designed to connect through the two bridges, Gyaing Bridge and Attayan Bridge, to Paan. Again Paan was connected, crossing the Sanlween Bridge, to Yangon. So it made a long journey. At the time of SPDC, another plan was made to construct Mawlamyaing bridge crossing Sanlween river, but landing of the bridge was just aside of the famous Shampoo Island. The plan was successful instead of landing in Shampoo Island, however major criticism was that the demolishing and relocation of a Hindi temple and local residential houses on the Mawlamyaing bank for approach to the bridge.
[edit] Culture of Mawlamyaing
Mawlamyaing was keen to communication and busy seaport and transport centres, so it provides multicultural dimension, despite the majority of Buddhist Mon people. Buddhism culture was dominated as early as Mawlamyaing was, but the British occupation in the 19th century developed the first Christianity in Myanmar, and St Patrick school, Mawlamyaing (now BEHS (5) Mawlamyaing) was opened by the De La Salle Brothers in Myanmar in the 1860. Moreover, business expansion in the early 20th century established Mawlamyaing with Hindi culture of Indian (so-called Galakhar).
[edit] Education
Education was also a factor that characterised Mawlamyaing due to its dense population. Mawlamyaing is a crowded city that suits the level to elect mayor as in the capital Yangon. It is bounded with 20 high schools in the city alone, and a major arts and science university (University of Mawlamyaing) which confers marine Science exclusive. However, most qualified students from Mawlamyaing have to go to Yangon to study in Medicine or Engineering, or computing, etc.
[edit] Military Power
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For more details on this topic, see Myanmar Armed Forces.
Military power is also strengthened as the South Eastern Army Command and Mawyawaddi Naval base exists. Mawlamyaing also had a link to historical event of the crash of military helicopter near Paan bridge that killed many Burmese junta generals including the late secretary 2 of SPDC, general Tin Oo.
[edit] Myanmar military helicopter crash
Burmese junta owned helicopter that transported the secretary 2 of the SPDC and many followers was crashed near Pa-an Bridge, Mawlamyine District, Mon State in February, 2001. It was the first and ever peculiar crash in the history and raised tension within military junta and builder of the craft, Russia.
The incident happened on 18 February, 2001, when the newly-bought, Russia-made MI-17 helicopter mal-functioned on top of a small jungle near Myaing-Kalay, the opposite of Pa-an, and crashed down into the Salween River bank. However, some also cited that, it was also an inside play due to arguments raised within two military wings in their return from Mawlamyaing to Pa-an [1], [2] after sight-checking of newly under-construction of Mawlamyaing Bridge. But, the junta refused to the report making implication or assassination [3]. Local senior and commander, major general Sit Maung, who was the political wing of general Khin Nyunt, just followed the party from Mawlamyaing.
Victims died in the crash were Gen Tin Oo, South Eastern Commander major-general Thiha Thura Thiha Sitt Maung, Col. Thein Nyunt, the minister of progress of border areas and national races and development affairs, and Brig. Gen. Lun Maung, the minister in the prime minister's office, 14 of 29 passengers died. Bodies of the seniors were found within the area of land closed to the scenario by the local villagers and the body of Sitt Maung, the last victim[4], was founded by villagers in the Salween River bank. The bodies of Tin Oo and a junior military officer were found on the day of the crash. Two bodies were found Tuesday, that of Col. Win Hlaing, 58, deputy director of armor division and Warrant Officer Maung Maung Than, 34, who worked at a military television station.
Victims
| Names | Positions |
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| Lieutenant General Tin Oo | Secretary no (2) of SPDC, Army Chief of Staff, the 4th ranking general in top Burmese officials |
| Major general Thura Thiha Thura Sit Maung | South Eastern Commander, SPDC member and a high ranking official |
| Brigadier general Lun Maung | The minister in the prime minister's office, SPDC member |
| Colonel Thein Nyunt | The minister of progress of border areas and national races and development affairs |
| Maj Aung Phone Naing | Personal Assistant of Lt Gen Tin Oo |
| Maj Khin Maung Kyaw | Personal assistant of major general Sit Maung |
| Colonel Win Hlaing (renamed from Win Naing to Win Hlaing) | 58, deputy director of armor division |
| Warrant Officer Maung Maung Than | 34, who worked at a military television station. |
| Maj Soe Naing | Police Director, Myanmar Police Force |
| Capt Ne Min Aung (renamed from "Ne Lin Aung" to "Ne Min Aung") | Assistant Police Director |
| Col Tin Win | |
| Naval Col Kyaw Tin Hla | Myanmar Navy |
| Lt Col Hla Paing | The Office of the Defense Services Commander in Chief |
| Maj Aung Maw Thet | |
| Cpl Htein Lin Aung | |
| Cpl Thein Tun | |
| Cpl Kyaw Swe | support trooper |
Maj Aung Zaw Tun was the only one among the survivors that was unscathed [5]
[edit] See also
- University of Mawlamyaing
- Thanlwin Bridge (Mawlamyine)
- Mawlamyaing Airport
- Mon people
- Attaran Bridge (Mawlamyine)
- Sittoung Bridge (Bilin)
[edit] References
- ^ CNN.com - Myanmar hopes for crash survivors fade - February 21, 2001
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/02/25/myanmar.death/index.html|Myanmar General dies
- ^ Officials: Top general, two ministers killed in helicopter crash in Myanmar - World
- ^ LEAD: Myanmar's Tin Oo, 11 other crash victims laid to rest | Asian Economic News | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ BurmaNet News: March 1, 2001
[edit] External links
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