Moving Target

In a surprise move, and at extremely short notice, Burma’s generals have relocated the government’s ministries almost 400 km north of Rangoon to Pyinmana, central Burma. The order to move came late on Saturday, leaving shocked officials little time to pack and say their goodbyes before departing early the next morning.

 

Some local Burmese observers believe the decision was taken on the advice of astrologers who serve the notoriously superstitious generals—rumor has it Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s trusted soothsayers have predicted bloodshed in Rangoon, necessitating relocation of the capital.

 

 

Rangoon, or Yangon, literally means “the end of strife”—a name bestowed by an 18th century Burmese king. But to the paranoid generals currently in charge, the capital is no longer a safe place. It is incontrovertibly doomed.

 

To escape misfortune the generals decided to leave. With a superstitious yell of “let’s go,” ministry officials left Rangoon in convoy at exactly 6:37am on November 6th.

 

But the plan is obviously flawed.

 

Newly arrived Pyinmana residents are already complaining of water shortages and communication problems. The building work is unfinished and at one ministry there are only three phone lines installed. What’s more, the area is thought to be prone to earthquakes and malaria outbreaks—though many are understood to have taken a good supply of anti-malaria pills with them.

 

The move plan has been ridiculed by many in Rangoon as “a forced relocation.” One observer described himself as feeling “gobsmacked,” while another expressed embarrassment that the plan had been so shrouded in secrecy. Even now, journalists are complaining about a lack of information on the move.

 

During his monthly press conference on Monday, information minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan confirmed the relocation to Pyinmana, saying the move was being made to help government operations run more “smoothly.” He declined, however, to elaborate further.  

 

Pyinmana served as military headquarters for the Aung San-led Burmese resistance during the Japanese occupation in World War II. Over the past few years, the military government has been quietly busy constructing airstrips, military mansions, enormous government buildings, offices and residences. Sources in Pyinmana say the new capital is surrounded by dense forests and mountains, underground tunnels, bunkers, military airfields and anti-missiles facilities. Consequently, some military analysts feel that moving the War Office to the area might make sense if the armed forces wanted to further stamp their authority on ethnic regions, where insurgency is a threat.

 

On the other hand, some Western diplomats have in the past speculated that junta leaders were worried about a possible seaborne invasion by a foreign power, notably the US, a vocal critic of the regime. Were the US to attack, Rangoon—and thus the regime— could fall in days.