Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MINISTRIES IN MOTION
Myanmar'snew
capital
wasconstructedamidcloak-and-daggersecrecybetween2002and
2005 at an estimated cost of around $4 billion on a greenfield site between the old Yan-
gon-Mandalay highway and the small towns of Pyinmana and Lewe. Following its unveil-
ing, government ministries were moved en masse from Yangon, with staff being given 48
hours to relocate (though their families were banned from following). Meanwhile, the for-
eigndiplomaticcommunityremainsstubbornlyentrenchedinYangon-sofartheonlyem-
bassy to have moved into the city's designated International Zone is that of Bangladesh.
The city's long-suffering bureaucrats, summarily transferred from Yangon, now occupy
Lego-like swathes of dormitory suburbs, their roofs colour-coded to signify the status of
the officials within, while the ruling elite have ensconced themselves in the city's fiercely
guarded
military zone
(strictly off limits to casual visitors), complete, it's alleged, with
many kilometres of tunnels and bunkers, plus a vast military parade ground overseen
by statues of kings Anawrahta, Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya - Myanmar's three greatest
empire-builders, and greatly beloved of the army bigwigs - often featuring in militaristic
propaganda, though inaccessible to the average citizen.
Surprisingly, Naypyitaw's population is already nudging the million mark, making it My-
anmar's third-largest city, and one of the world's fastest-growing urban centres, although
you'd hardly guess this, given the largely deserted and decidedly moribund atmosphere,
and the entire place still feels very much like a work in - perhaps permanent - progress.
