Regime admits to systematic removal of Aung San statues, claims ‘substandard’ proportions

In a rare public acknowledgement of an escalating nationwide campaign, the military regime has confirmed it is removing statues of General Aung San, the country’s independence hero and father of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

Regime spokesperson Khaing Khaing Soe stated on July 10 that authorities have been inspecting monuments in over 100 townships. She claimed the removals are not a wholesale erasure of the General’s legacy, but rather a review to address statues that are “substandard,” “incorrectly shaped,” or lack proper “dignity.”

“Some media outlets are currently reporting the removal of General Aung San statues in certain areas. In reality, not all statues… are being removed; rather, only statues with incorrect proportions and shapes are being reviewed and handled in accordance with the law,” Khaing Khaing Soe said in a statement.

She cited the Protection and Preservation of Ancient Monuments Law (1962) as the legal basis for the review, stating the goal is to ensure the General’s image is preserved “correctly” for future generations.

Contradicting reports and public outcry

The regime’s justification has been met with widespread skepticism and anger. Independent media tallies suggest a much more systematic effort to erase the General’s image from the public sphere, with at least 16 statues removed or destroyed since the February 2021 coup, according to DVB data.

Local reports describe a clandestine operation, with authorities frequently cutting electricity to parks and deploying heavy machinery under the cover of darkness to dismantle the monuments. Residents and activists have noted that the removals have surged in regions including Magway, Bago, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Sagaing, and Mandalay.

• Opposition Condemnation: The National League for Democracy (NLD) issued a formal statement on July 8, decrying the move as a calculated attempt to “destroy Myanmar’s national identity and history.”

• Legal Warnings: The Burma Lawyers’ Council (BLC) has argued that the deliberate destruction of these statues—which were largely funded by public donations—constitutes criminal mischief under Section 425 of the Penal Code, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Erasure beyond Public squares

The campaign against General Aung San’s image appears deeply linked to the broader suppression of the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi’s influence.

In June, authorities stripped NLD symbols and a portrait of General Aung San from the walls outside 54 University Avenue in Yangon—the historic family home where Aung San Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest.

Furthermore, the regime has continued its campaign of state-sponsored violence against the NLD, having dissolved the party in 2023, arrested thousands of its members, and systematically seized the private properties of hundreds of elected lawmakers.

While regime officials announced that a special exhibition would be held at the General Aung San Residence Museum in Natmauk, Magway Region for the upcoming Martyrs’ Day on July 19.

But critics argue the demolition campaign is a transparent attempt by the current pro-military administration to suppress symbols that inspire anti-coup resistance and to consolidate a state narrative that favours the military’s own version of history.