CINCDSThe layout of Myanmar’s capital city Nay Pyi Taw will be redrawn after the devastating earthquake last month, the country’s military ruler has said.
During a government meeting, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that buildings which collapsed during the earthquake were so badly affected because they were built on soft soil.
Office buildings will be rebuilt and must be resistant to future earthquakes, he said, with tests on soil also being conducted before any rebuilding is done.
The BBC has seen evidence indicating about 70% of government buildings were damaged by the quake in the capital, and some offices have reportedly been moved to Yangon.
Myanmar was devastated by a huge earthquake which hit the country on 28 March. The 7.7 magnitude quake was so strong it was felt in Thailand and south-west China.
According to state media, over 3,500 people were killed and 5,012 were injured in Myanmar as a result of the quake.
The city of Nay Pyi Taw covers at least four times the area of London, but with only a fraction of the people. Its history is short: it has only existed since 2005, raised out of the flatlands by the then military rulers of Myanmar, which was previously known as Burma.
Myanmar Military CouncilThe name Nay Pyi Taw means “seat of the king”. The reasons for moving the capital some 370km inland from the largest city, Yangon, have never been entirely clear.
The city bears all the hallmarks of a planned capital: the road leading from parliament to the presidential palace is 20 lanes wide, but carries hardly any traffic. Shiny shopping malls and empty luxury hotels line the boulevards. There’s a safari park, a zoo, and at least three stadiums.
Since 2021, Myanmar has been plagued by civil war between the junta, which seized power in a military coup, and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country.
A 20-day ceasefire was declared by the military council on 2 April, following the announcement of a pause in hostilities by an alliance made up of three rebel groups.
The ceasefires were announced to help relief efforts, but the military has reportedly continued to attack rebel-held areas.
The military council’s photo archives show that several government buildings, including the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Planning and the Court of the Union were severely damaged in the earthquake.
Most of the buildings are still in ruins as repair work on them has not yet started.
The removal of important government documents has reportedly been ordered, along with equipment and other moveable items.
Reconstruction of the buildings could take years, and as a result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism have reportedly moved their offices to the former capital Yangon – 366km (228m) away.
Other departments are relocating their offices to open air halls called “hotai” in Nay Pyi Taw, which are built with steel frames.
Social media posts written by staff at the National Museum in Nay Pyi Taw say they have moved inscriptions and manuscripts and are trying to save as many as possible of the tens of thousands of books, along with literature and computers.
