The luxury Sedona Hotel in Yangon has said in a statement it will stop dressing its lobby staff in regal costume after nationalist monks complained that allowing low-ranking employees to wear the outfit insulted the country’s dignity.
The announcement, dated May 26, came after the influential Buddhist nationalist Committee to Protect Race and Religion, also known as Ma Ba Tha, called it an offense against the “dignity of the country” to have the workers dressed as one of Myanmar’s “ancient heroes.”
“In response to queries about the outfit worn by the doorman of Sedona Hotel Yangon, the hotel would like to clarify that the outfit was introduced in order to provide guests with a warm and elegant welcome experience,” the Sedona statement reads.
“As one of the first five star hotels in Yangon, Sedona Hotel Yangon is known for immersing guests in the fascinating history, culture and warm hospitality of Myanmar and there is no disrespect intended at all in this instance.
“We have taken note of the concerns raised and have stopped using the cultural outfit,” the statement added.
The costume, intended to recall royalty of the Bagan era, was worn by almost all staff on May 18 for the opening of the hotel’s new ‘Inya Wing’, said Wai Lwin Mon, director of marketing communications for the hotel, in an interview on Tuesday.
“It was just to get attention from our guests and to spread the message of Myanmar tradition,” she told Coconuts Yangon.
“As the guests like it, we planned to have a few boys wear this outfit just to greet at the door. We wanted our guests to take pictures with them in order to know our culture.”
Pictures of the staff circulated on social media, however, provoked the ire of nationalist monks, who hold considerable political sway in Myanmar. Ma Ba Tha released their statement and another group, the Patriotic Monks Network, booked a meeting with hotel staff for May 26.
At the meeting, monks allegedly intimidated a junior reporter for Myanmar Cable News and attempted to delete the journalist’s footage.
The following day, the Sedona said they were recalling the outfits.
It is not uncommon for hotels and restaurants in Myanmar to have staff members dress in traditional attire, though it is unclear how many use clothing from specific historical eras.
The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism deputy director general Khin Than Win told the Myanmar Times: “Our ministry has granted permission for the traditional national attire to be worn when greeting customers.” She vowed to “re-check” the Sedona.
While small, this victory represents the latest achievement for the Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar.
Last year, several pieces of legislation were passed with their approval, making it harder to marry a non-Buddhist spouse, among other measures. Also last year, protests against a development project near the Shwedagon Pagoda led to its cancellation and transfer to another part of the city.
However, their influence stopped short at the ballot box in November’s election, when the overwhelming majority of voters chose Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy instead of the Ma Ba Tha-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.
