# Naypyidaw - Myanmar's New Planned Capital City



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Myanmar unveils zoo in remote new capital *

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar, March 26, 2008 (AFP) - Myanmar's military rulers opened a zoo in their new capital Naypyidaw on Wednesday, bringing a rare attraction to the isolated city which emerged from scrubland in 2005. 

About 420 animals including rare wallabies, white tigers and penguins were moved from the former seat of government Yangon in February and trucked to the 612-acre (247-hectare) Naypyidaw Zoological Gardens. 

"We are very proud as we have constructed this international standard zoological garden within seven months," Tin Aung Myint Oo, a senior junta member, said in his opening speech. 

"Not only local visitors, but also foreign tourists can study here," he told gathered ministers, diplomats and junta officials. 

He did not explain how foreign tourists -- currently banned from the new capital by the secretive generals -- would visit the zoo, which is on the Yangon-Mandalay highway about 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Yangon. 

About half of the animals residing in the 102-year-old Yangon Zoological Gardens including elephants, crocodiles, tigers, deer, leopards and monkeys were loaded into trucks and driven up to Naypyidaw. 

"No animal was killed when transferring them from Yangon to Naypyidaw. All are in good health now. They are enjoying it here," a senior official at the new zoo told AFP. 

Tens of thousands of people flocked from nearby villages to visit the zoo, which was free to the public on its opening day. 

"We are very happy. We have never been to a zoo before," said a 50-year-old woman from a nearby village as she queued in hot weather with her children. 

"This is a good chance for us to see animals. Now I'm waiting to see the white tigers." 

But some at the opening ceremony worried that the oppressive heat of central Myanmar might not suit the menagerie. 

"The weather is so hot here," said one Yangon-based diplomat. "I am worried whether the animals can stay in this weather. They will have to plant many trees for the animals here." 

The military regime surprised the world in 2005 by suddenly shifting its capital from Yangon to this remote town in the mountains. 

Since then Naypyidaw's population has grown to more than 900,000 people, according to official statistics. Residents are mostly government and military officials ordered to move from Yangon. 

The city will be site of a grand military parade on Thursday to mark Armed Forces Day.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Burma: welcome to Naypyidaw - the home of kings - and the world's weirdest capital city*
_Naypyidaw is a city of gilded palaces erected out of the jungle and linked by the widest of highways, swept clean by a broom-wielding army._
The Telegraph
18 Nov 2011










At its heart is a golden temple to appease and honour the Gods. In case that is not enough to defray fate, an enclosure nearby is home to a pair of well-fed Albino elephants, beasts which are believed to be auspicious harbingers of national good fortune.

Naypyidaw, Burma’s capital, should be a city fit for a thriving population happy to wander around its extravagance. Instead – as The Daily Telegraph witnessed this week in a rarely sanctioned visit – it is an empty city, with barely a car on the road, and not a crowd to be seen.

Indeed Naypyidaw, or the home of kings, has emerged from virgin forests to stake a claim to be the world’s weirdest citadel in just a handful of years. Burma announced an overnight transfer of government offices 200 miles north from the historic capital Rangoon to Naypyidaw in 2005 to commence on the hour chosen by the then dictator Senior General Than Shwe’s personal astrologer. The development seemed to herald yet another step back for a country virtually destroyed since the military took power in a 1962 coup.

As grand buildings went up and civil servants were moved to provide what little population the city has, Naypyidaw became a symbol of the ageing autocrat’s willingness to squander Burma’s wealth to glorify his regime.

And, like ancient Xanadu and dozens of other citadels built to glorify one man, its flaws are his flaws. Today, all the main landmarks – most notably the presidential palace and parliament – are surrounded by a moat that can only be crossed by a series of bridges. A Western diplomat travelling here this week said Naypyidaw was so vast it could only be comprehended from space. “The only real way to get a sense of this place is from Google Earth,” he said. “Then you see the distance between the building, set far apart to survive air raids.” 

All Naypyidaw’s roads lead eventually to Burma’s most powerful seat, but there is only desolation along the way. The only signs of life along mile after mile of empty highways are the straw-hatted street sweepers. The battle against the dust amounts to an unceasing demonstration that remoteness provides no insulation against reality. The master plan has, however, proved to be no guarantee against change from within.

Since the 77-year old general retired in March, his successors in Naypyidaw have already abandoned the obsessions that shaped the city. A reformer sits as the first occupant of the presidential palace and the parliament is braced for an influx of opposition democrats.

Last year a flawed election returned 435 members of Burma’s first sitting parliament in 25 years. But the opposition – which boycotted the elections – is now preparing to contest 48 by-elections. If all goes as hoped, the city will become the unlikely launching pad of Asia’s newest democracy.

The parliamentary trappings are already in place. Than Kywe, the deputy security director, is a secret policeman turned parliamentary aid. In the chamber of the lower house, he explains its legitimacy is symbolised by the mace placed on the rostrum. Next door in the speaker’s office a green gown similar to that worn by the Speaker of the House of Commons hangs on a suit rail. A copy of Parliament, a guide to procedure, traditions and protocol in the Mother of Parliaments, is well-thumbed on the desk.

Mr Than claims the experiment in democracy is far-reaching, with some members having carried pictures of the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her slain father Gen Aung San into the house.

“There are people here doing actions that I would have arrested them for a few months ago,” said the special branch detective. Burmese journalists posted to cover the sessions in the parliament claim a surprising amount of genuine debate has taken place, even though the military or its allies hold 88 per cent of seats.

“I didn’t expect it before I went up to Naypyidaw, but the MPs are really serious about their roles,” said a reporter at Eleven Weekly, the country’s most outspoken newspaper. “OK, so most don’t really know how to do the job yet, but most are determined to try.”

As parliament opens up to diplomats, its members have shown themselves eager to learn from abroad. Members of the public accounts committee are reported to be considering an offer of assistance from the Westminster Foundation, a public body that assists parliaments in developing countries, to draw up their own operational rules.

Amid the grotesque splendour of the showcase capital, the announcement raised the prospect that the descent of a clutch of pin-striped Sir Humphreys would subvert Gen Than’s dreams in the very marble halls that he erected to safeguard his legacy.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

> If you ask me they should have just stayed in Melbourne.


But wasn't the whole purpose of building a new capital so as to avoid either Melbourne or Sydney having the upper hand (politically) above one or the other? A bit like the United States decided to build a capital out of scratch.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Since construction started in 2002 Naypyidaw has become the 3rd largest city in Myanmar, with a population of 925,000. It's now one of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the world. If all goes well next year it will become Asia's newest democracy, after 50 years of military dictatorship:

more pics:


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## Bangroma-sky (Jun 26, 2011)

Foto's from the new capital.


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## Bangroma-sky (Jun 26, 2011)

and more...











Tollbooth, Yangon-Naypyidaw highway



















posted by Bad_Hafen









http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...ydro-power/2011/10/28/gIQAS53rwM_gallery.html








http://www.google.nl/imgres?q=Naypy...=147&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:147&tx=78&ty=89








http://www.google.nl/imgres?q=Naypy...nw=214&start=147&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:147

http://www.flickr.com/photos/securitywatch/2488836235/in/photostream/
















http://www.flickr.com/photos/securitywatch/2488836481/sizes/z/in/photostream/


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

the spliff fairy said:


> Since construction started in 2002 Naypyidaw has become the 3rd largest city in Myanmar, with a population of 925,000. It's now one of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the world. If all goes well next year it will become Asia's newest democracy, after 50 years of military dictatorship:


I don't know much about Myanmar, but I thought its some military thing, hows it becoming a democracy?


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

Some old news report from January 2010 stated that Naypyidaw was planning to build a 30,000-seat stadium for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.


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## khoojyh (Aug 14, 2005)

Interesting


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## bayviews (Mar 3, 2006)

the spliff fairy said:


> more pics:


Looks like with Yangoon being rather rustic & compact, the Myanmar leaders are/were trying to build their own versian of Pyongyang. Complete with all the huge palaces & wide, mostly empty streets for military & political parades, etc. 

I hear though that the military junta is trying to come out from the cold, etc. its a beatiful, unspoiled country though.


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## thuriyasai (Jan 25, 2012)

Probably one of the biggest parliament in the world, in competition with Romania and China.


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## khoojyh (Aug 14, 2005)

That's parliament house look beautiful


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## anakngpasig (Jul 29, 2005)

Bangroma-sky said:


> Foto's from the new capital.


drag racing, anyone?


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## Disturbing Reality (Mar 28, 2011)

Nice new city.. Good thing they built it in traditional architecture.. Now if Myanmar transitions into democracy, this should be more interesting..


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## thuriyasai (Jan 25, 2012)

If you think the parliament building in Naypyitaw is big, you should look at its new National Museum.......BIG!! but theirs no photos and its not completed


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## muc (Sep 29, 2005)

the spliff fairy said:


> Since construction started in 2002 Naypyidaw has become the 3rd largest city in Myanmar, with a population of 925,000.


:?

Looking at the picures presented here and also Google Maps it's hard to believe this would be a city of nearly 1 million people. Where are they all hiding? Where are all the residential buildings?

Is that information from a reliable source or just propaganda figures?

To me it dosesn't even look like 100k.


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## thuriyasai (Jan 25, 2012)

they city is a seperated by residential zones and government zones and hotel zones. you can see clearly many residential apartments, and hotel resorts, while you look at google earth, you might see the 2 new stadiums for 27th SEA Games. But all the ariel-view pictures are not updated, so the picture may be 1-2 years old.


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

Plans came up last year for a 50 km underground metro line for Naypyidaw. Those plans have since been scrapped, since the Rail Transportation Mimistry stated that it was economically unfeasible and unnecessary. Should have built a metro system for Yangon, the old capital.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Well, at least they came to their senses to cancel that white elephant project.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Jim856796 said:


> Plans came up last year for a 50 km underground metro line for Naypyidaw. Those plans have since been scrapped, since the Rail Transportation Mimistry stated that it was economically unfeasible and unnecessary. Should have built a metro system for Yangon, the old capital.


they'd be better off with light rail, which is the way western Europe has shifted towards, and these days Japan.

this of course depends on whether Naypyidaw adopted a more compact city approach or a sprawl. Unfortunately while the US is now learning the mistakes of its urban sprawl with its spaced out suburbs, cul de sacs, and inefficient use of arterial roads, many developing countries (especially those in Asia) are mimicking what the US done wrong.


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## LuisClaudio (Sep 13, 2011)

looks like artificial,like Brazilia,the Capital of Brazil.


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## sweet-d (Jul 20, 2010)

It looks scary but the Parliament building looks badass. Hopefully they'll continue making changes and move closer to a republic. Or at least develop the economy.


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

phantom capital, still under construction by TomMarkey, on Flickr


Untitled by TomMarkey, on Flickr


内比都泽雅蒂利宫 by |*|M|M|A|G|*| 虫二▒▒, on Flickr


Naypyitaw City Hall by clkr, on Flickr


Nay Pyi Taw Airport2 by |*|M|M|A|G|*| 虫二▒▒, on Flickr


Naypyidaw: Burma's secret new capital by International Relations and Security Network (ISN , on Flickr


Hypermarked i Myanmar by Utenriksdept, on Flickr


Burma 08-0189 by andrestgt, on Flickr


Uppatasanti Pagoda in Nay Pyi Taw (8 of 39) by Shaun R, on Flickr


Sizing up the Pagoda by Photasia, on Flickr


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## Wunderknabe (Jun 29, 2010)

Any maps or aerials?

Quite impressive, but also a bit liveless and quite unfinished I think.


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## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

beautiful


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## alheaine (Jan 11, 2009)

it's sprawling from an aerial perspective.. kay:


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

The buildings themselves look nice but its not a city in my opinion. Nothing remotely urban at least, it is rather a loose collection of lots of single use complexes thrown into the forest around some lakes with big roads in between.


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

Very much like Abuja Nigeria but not as developed at this stage.


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## Caio Varela (Apr 25, 2011)

LuisClaudio said:


> looks like artificial,like Brazilia,the Capital of Brazil.


At least there's life in Brasília: 








By Augusto Areal

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1502126


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Feb 11, 2019
*Myanmar arrests French national after reported drone flight*
_Excerpt_

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar police have arrested a French national in the capital, Naypyitaw, police and France’s embassy said on Monday, after the man reportedly flew a drone near parliament.

Naypyitaw is not a common destination for foreign tourists, but some curious visitors are drawn to its oversized official buildings and largely empty, runway-like roads. The junta constructed the city in secret and moved the country’s administration there in the mid-2000s.

In 2017, two foreign journalists for Turkish state TV station TRT World and their interpreter spent two months in a Myanmar jail for flying a drone over the legislature. The three pleaded guilty to breaching the colonial-era Aircraft Act.

Thein Min Htwe, a policewoman in Naypyitaw’s Ottara Thiri township, confirmed reports a Frenchman was detained for flying an unmanned aerial vehicle, but declined to say what charges he was arrested on.

Local media said police detained the man on a bridge at the entrance to Naypyitaw’s sprawling parliament complex on Thursday and that he was accused of illegally importing the drone.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nal-after-reported-drone-flight-idUSKCN1Q00YY


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

All those modern purpose built capitals suffer from the Brasilia syndrom. I wonder why the planners can't build an urban capital anymore with proper urban qualities and not the sterile depressing atmosphere of some grand buildings thrown into some depressing mix of roads, parking lots and some greenery. 

Washington DC is a planned capital after all. It might not be the most bustling of all places but at least its a proper city that isn't outright hostile to pedestrians.


Regarding Naypyitaw, it is even way worse than Brasilia. Its heart is no city at all, whatsoever. It is a forest with lakes and some hermetically sealed sprawling state institution complexes thrown into in considerable distance even to each other and some wide roads in between. The space between is also filled up a bit with loosely distributed residential blocks and at least 3 golf courses. While the immediate surrounding of the buildings may look nice and very green, this looks exclusively designed for cars even trips to the most basic local infrastructure probably need to be done by car. 


This pictures says it all. This is not how a city looks like: https://plus.google.com/photos/photo/100190591616834974719/6371371680935857522
The above link shows the "urban view". If you look the other way this is what you see: https://plus.google.com/photos/photo/100425109442228676924/6261124779497759986


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## wakka12 (May 17, 2015)

Yeh I dont understand why some cities are still planned in such a way, theres countless examples that show it dooms it to failure. Why dont they look to cities that are actually successful and desirable? New york, Paris, London, very high density is absolutely critical to the success of a city, it just cant work without it


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Well, I can think of a reason why. That capital is not supposed to be an urban place but if need be a high security facility that can be defended by the army effectively against even large scale intrusion or major civil uprise. 

That is why there are huge swathes of nothingness, high fences, superhuge roadways (to enable swift mobilization of the army even with heavy equipment)


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