Aung San statues removed in Myanmar amid dispute over his legacy

Statues of Myanmar independence figure Aung San are being removed in parts of the country, amid a dispute over his place in public life and his connection to his detained daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San fought both with and against British and Japanese colonial powers while seeking independence for Myanmar. He was assassinated on July 19, 1947, months before independence was achieved. He is widely regarded as the father of modern Myanmar, and statues of him have stood around the country for decades.

Many statues were added while Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy was in power from 2016 to 2020. Since the 2021 coup led by Min Aung Hlaing, which removed Suu Kyi from power, some of those statues have been taken down by the current government.

In Yangon's Thu Mingalar Park this week, a large statue installed nearly a decade ago was no longer present, and grass had been planted where it stood. The government has acknowledged removing some statues, saying those with incorrect proportions and shapes are being reviewed and addressed.

Analysts said the removals may be part of an attempt to remove from public spaces a symbol linked to Suu Kyi, who remains detained. Myanmar specialist Moe Thuzar said Aung San is remembered as the country's independence hero and that many people see Suu Kyi as continuing his legacy. She said that, since the coup, the military has tried to make Suu Kyi and the NLD politically irrelevant.

While in government, the NLD installed statues of Aung San and returned his image to local currency notes. Moe Thuzar said those moves could be seen as attempts to revive his historical legacy.

Aung San's killing, along with the killing of several colleagues by local rivals, is marked each year on Martyrs' Day. The public holiday draws people to a mausoleum in Yangon where the victims' remains are kept. One Yangon resident, speaking anonymously because of security concerns, said authorities could remove statues but could not erase Aung San's image from public memory.

Government spokeswoman Khaing Khaing Soe said earlier this month that only statues with incorrect proportions and shapes were being systematically reviewed and addressed. She said a review of Aung San statues in more than 100 townships since 2016 had found some with features inconsistent with the dignity of an important historical figure. She said maintenance work was being carried out to prevent disrespect toward the statues and to help future generations study Myanmar's historical heritage correctly.

A local resident said one statue installed during the NLD administration was removed earlier this month from Mya Kan Thar Park in Yangon. Another resident in the township said the statue had been in good condition and had good proportions. In late June, authorities also removed a statue from a park in Mudon, in southern Mon state, according to a resident who spoke anonymously. The resident said authorities later covered the statue's foundation with a plastic sheet and that no one had dared to complain.

Aung San's legacy is not viewed the same way by all groups in Myanmar. Researcher Morgan Michaels, a Myanmar specialist with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Aung San is celebrated mainly by ethnic majority Bamar elites, while some ethnic minority communities have their own heroes and see his public image as a symbol linked to Bamar dominance of the state. He said there were disputes under the Suu Kyi-led government over NLD efforts to erect statues or name infrastructure after Aung San.

Since the coup, some ethnic minority armed groups have joined pro-democracy guerrillas in fighting the military. An unnamed politician from an ethnic minority group acknowledged Aung San's role in the independence struggle but accused the NLD of putting up statues for party interests. The politician said it was not necessary to keep many of the statues and said the NLD era was over.