Myanmar Junta Calls Builders to Reconstruct Quake-Hit Naypyitaw

Myanmar’s junta has ordered construction companies to reconnect and assess widespread earthquake damage in the capital Naypyitaw, amid mounting questions over the city’s structural integrity.

State-run media reported on Saturday that companies responsible for building Naypyitaw's government offices, staff housing, and key infrastructure must contact the junta’s newly formed Buildings Restoration, Utilisation and New Buildings Construction Supervision Committee.

At a meeting on 18 April, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing instructed officials to review whether damaged structures met original construction standards. He also announced plans to redraw Naypyitaw’s layout and demanded new staff housing capable of withstanding earthquakes up to magnitude 8.

The call to action follows the devastating 28 March earthquake, which left Naypyitaw with the country’s second-highest death toll after Mandalay. Over 70% of government buildings were reportedly damaged, including the presidential residence, parliamentary complex, and the War Office. Fatalities were heaviest among government employees and their families, as hundreds of staff buildings collapsed.

Naypyitaw was built between 2003 and 2005 under former dictator Than Shwe, largely through opaque contracts awarded to regime cronies. The city quickly earned a reputation as the "city of corruption," with allegations of substandard construction and misused funds persisting for years.

The parliamentary complex, for instance, was constructed by the Associate of Civil Engineering Construction Group (ACE), owned by former sports minister Tint Hsan. His son, Phyo Ko Ko Tint Hsan, who once chaired the company, was jailed for weapons and drug offences but released shortly after the 2021 coup.

Despite the scale of the damage, repair work in many parts of Naypyitaw has yet to begin, further fuelling public anger over the junta’s management of the disaster.

-2025-04-28