Temples razed for Myanmar’s Silicon Valley project

The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s military regime has ordered the demolition of more than 70 religious and charitable buildings in the Yadanabon Cyber City zone, sparking outrage in Mandalay’s Pyin Oo Lwin. The sprawling project, overseen by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing’s son Aung Pyae Sone, has set 18 September as the deadline for monasteries, nunneries, schools and other institutions to vacate.

Officials claim the structures “encroach” on the 10,000‑acre development site. Yet many of the targeted monasteries and schools were established decades before the cyber city was conceived in 2006 under former dictator Than Shwe. Local monks argue the buildings are not illegal, pointing out that land was donated by laypeople and funded through community support.

Residents say the real motive lies in lucrative land deals. Military officers, civil servants and their families are accused of selling plots beneath the religious sites to speculators for tens of millions of kyat. One senior monk warned online that genuine centres of Buddhist learning and charity, including schools for the blind, are now at risk. He urged collective resistance to the demolition orders.

The crackdown follows the June destruction of more than 100 shophouses in the same zone, also branded “illegal” by authorities. Aung Pyae Sone’s Sky One company has been granted rights to develop water, electricity, roads and basic infrastructure, while military‑linked firms invest in housing and industrial estates.

Min Aung Hlaing has promoted Yadanabon Cyber City as Myanmar’s answer to Silicon Valley, touting it abroad to attract foreign investment. The project now spans agro‑industry, education, health services, tourism and luxury housing, complete with golf courses. Land prices in Pyin Oo Lwin have surged since its revival after the coup, driven by speculation and military patronage.

For locals, however, the cost is measured not in profit but in the loss of long‑standing religious and charitable institutions. As eviction day approaches, the fate of these temples and schools underscores the human toll of a vanity project that prioritises prestige and profit over community heritage.

-2026-09-15