Tomorrow (July 19) is Martyrs’ Day, the annual commemoration of the 1947 killings of independence hero Aung San and eight of his associates.
While there is an official government event with senior government types, here are three venues of historical interest that are opening their doors to the public at no cost.
The Secretariat
This downtown colonial structure pictured used to be the headquarters for the British administration. But in 1947, not long before independence in 1948, it was the site of terrible violence as conspirators machine-gunned to death nine people, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, Aung San, during a cabinet meeting of the government-to-be. These deaths are the reason Martyrs’ Day is observed. For the third year in a row the Secretariat will be open to the public. The hours are from 9:30am to 5pm and the entrance should be on Thein Phyu Road between Mahabandoolah and Anawratha Street.
Restored building on Merchant Street
The 491-501 Merchant Street building, restored with the help of the organization Turqoise Mountain, has been hosting heritage events for weeks. Tomorrow its doors will be open from 10am to 7pm. You can wander around, check out the inside, then stay to watch screenings of a documentery about the restoration called Under One Roof. The closest cross street is 39th. More details here.
U Thant’s house
Visit the former residence of Myanmar’s most famous diplomat, U Thant, the former Secretary General of the United Nations. Opened not long ago, this is a little more out of the way but worth the trip. See our review here. The hours for tomorrow are from 10am to 5pm and the house is located on Panwa Road off of Inya Road.
