Urban Development
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Hundreds of relatives came to Kyandaw Cemetery only to find that they had to pay 250 Kyat (US $1.60) for the workers to dig up the coffin, and to place the bones in a garbage bag, costing a further 10 Kyat (US $0.16). To move the bag of bones to the new site at Shwe Nyaungbin, it costs a further 300 Kyat (US $1.80) for the taxi. To re-bury the bones it costs 2,000 Kyat (US $1.80), and for a new tombstone a further 500 Kyat (US $3.12). If the body has rotting flesh left on it, for example the person died recently, it costs 1,200 Kyat (US $7.50) to dig up the corpse, up to 14,000 Kyat (US $87.50) for a new coffin, 1,500 Kyat (US $3.12) for a taxi to carry the coffin to the new site, and a further 2,000 Kyat (US $12.50) to re-bury the body. The average wage per month is prohibitive. Many poor people are re-burying their dead in the mud without tombstones as they cannot afford to pay.
Some Christian denominations, such as the Catholics, do not cremate corpses, however local Catholic bishops are giving special dispensations for their parishioners to burn their dead, as many cannot afford to move the remains. Just before the relocation notice was posted at the cemeteries, a committee of the various religious leaders was ordered to form to assist Slorc and the local people with the move.
As the populations who practice Christianity, Islam and Hinduism are often ethnic minority groups, the move is stirring up ethnic tension. However as one ethnic national stated of the move at the cemetery, "What can we do about it? If we complain we only get problems."
The relocation of the cemetery is also problematic for the Slorc, as the remains of U Nu, former Prime Minister are also buried there, along with the remains of some of the thirty comrades, the independence heroes of Burma. Also buried there is Daw Khin May Than, a wife of Ne Win, the dictator who ruled Burma from 1962 to 1988, who is still widely believed to be a major power behind the Slorc.
Although there has been an extensive crackdown on those students who participated in the demonstrations in Rangoon in December, the Slorc fear that to disturb the remains of some of Burma’s heroes may be the catalyst for more student unrest. In 1974, the refusal of the Burmese military to bury former United Nations Secretary General U Thant in a venerated position led to the student uprisings of the same year, followed by widespread military suppression.
For many families coming to pick up remains of loved ones, this is not the first time they have had to move their dead. In early 1991, an order was served by Slorc that relatives would have to move their dead from Cantonment Cemetery in Dagon Township. The army then built a military office there.
In 1994, Tamwe Cemetery was also ordered to move in order for the army to build a supermarket. Remains in both of these cemeteries were relocated to Kyandaw Cemetery, which is currently being moved. One Australian Burmese displayed a garbage bag and said: "This is my Dad! ... This is the second time in two years that I’ve come from Australia to re-bury him ... Although I’m Catholic, this time I will have to burn him as I can’t afford to keep coming back to move the bones."
Diplomats based in Rangoon have quietly expressed their disgust at the way the relocations are being conducted. Individuals from ethnic and religious groups have also expressed dismay at what many of them see as a flagrant show of the military’s disrespect for these communities. Others have simply been unable to pay for the move and have had to bury their relatives at home or in unmarked graves at the new site. As one Burmese at Kyandaw cemetery stated: "Even when you die in this country, they [the military] don’t leave you alone."
This story is contribued by Ma Hnin Hlaing Oo.
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