Myanmar junta expands crackdown to Aung San statues in bid to erase opposition symbols

Myanmar’s military rulers have widened their campaign against the country’s democratic movement by targeting not only detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her dissolved political party, but also the public legacy of her father, independence hero General Aung San. Since overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021, the military has imprisoned the Nobel laureate, outlawed her National League for Democracy (NLD), and dismantled much of the party’s political infrastructure. In recent months, it has extended that campaign to removing statues of General Aung San, the architect of Myanmar’s independence and one of the country’s most revered national figures. The effort has accelerated since junta chief Min Aung Hlaing declared himself president earlier this year after an election dismissed by most observers as an attempt to legitimise continued military rule. According to a Myanmar Now tally, the junta has removed at least 12 statues of General Aung San since the 2021 coup, including eight dismantled in June and July alone. Most were erected under the NLD government, although one dated back to an earlier military regime. The removals have intensified ahead of Martyrs’ Day on July 19, when Myanmar commemorates the assassination of General Aung San and several members of his interim government in 1947, just months before the country gained independence from Britain. Residents told Myanmar Now that the statues are typically removed overnight under heavy security, leaving many people to discover their disappearance the following morning. “It seems they want him to disappear everywhere,” one Yangon resident said. “General Aung San led Myanmar’s struggle for independence. Destroying his statue is an attempt to erase his legacy. You almost wonder whether they are even afraid of a statue.” Opposition figures say the campaign is centrally coordinated. Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), said he had received reports that authorities were instructed to complete the removals before Martyrs’ Day, suggesting the operation had been ordered by senior military leaders. Former NLD lawmaker Bo Bo Oo said the demolitions represented the latest attempt by successive military regimes to diminish General Aung San’s place in Myanmar’s national narrative. “Now, under Min Aung Hlaing, they are physically destroying the statues,” he said. “Ultimately, the target is the NLD and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.” The removal of the statues has coincided with a broader effort to eliminate public symbols associated with the NLD. In June, soldiers removed the party’s peacock emblem and signboard from its headquarters in Yangon. The following day, authorities also took down a portrait of General Aung San displayed at the entrance to Aung San Suu Kyi’s lakeside residence. Senior NLD officials described the moves as part of the military’s attempt to erase the party from Myanmar's political landscape altogether. The NLD headquarters in Yangon after the junta removed the party’s name and peacock emblem from the building in June (Photo: Myanmar Now) The junta has offered no public explanation for the removals. Asked by Myanmar Now, Deputy Information Minister Ye Tint declined to comment, while Lt.-Col. Myo Htet Win, a military-appointed lawmaker, said he was unaware of the operation. For many opponents of military rule, however, the campaign is unlikely to achieve its intended effect. “They may be able to destroy General Aung San’s statues,” said Mandalay-based anti-junta protest leader Tezar San. “But they cannot erase the respect and admiration that people have for him in their hearts.”

Myanmar junta expands crackdown to Aung San statues in bid to erase opposition symbols

The regime has removed at least 12 of the statues since seizing power in 2021, including eight dismantled in June and July alone

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