Junta spends K1 billion on restoring historical Sittwe monastery

By Admin 14 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
14 July 2023, Sittwe

The junta is spending K1 billion to restore the colonial-era U Ray Kyaw Thu Monastery in Sittwe, which was decimated by Cyclone Mocha, while preserving the remaining original architecture, according to the board of trustees.

When junta boss Min Aung Hlaing visited the U Ray Kyaw Thu Monastery on July 11, he instructed the relevant officials to spend K1 billion to renovate the historical building.

“He [Min Aung Hlaing] looked into the damage of an ordination hall destroyed by the cyclonic storm. He instructed the concerned officials who accompanied him to spend K1 billion to renovate the monastery without harming the original artworks,” said U Aye Thein, chairman of the monastery’s board of trustees.

“I told Min Aung Hlaing that since this monastery is a big building, it will only be convenient if it is replaced with good quality roofing sheets. He also promised to refurbish this ruined monastery,” said U Jotipala, the abbot of U Ye Kyaw Thu Monastery.

Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall with destructive force over Arakan State on May 14, destroyed the main roof of the U Ray Kyaw Thu Monastery and an ordination hall inside the main structure.

The beginnings of efforts to restore the monastery have been undertaken by a military engineering battalion since July 13, according to the monastery’s board of trustees.

“The junta’s responsibility to restore the damaged U Ray Kyaw Thu Monastery to its original structure while the people were in trouble due to the storm helped a lot to sustain the ancient building,” U Aye Thein said.

The U Ray Kyaw Thu Monastery was built and funded in 1917 by Arakanese tycoon U Ray Kyaw Thu, who earned much of his wealth in Myanmar’s then nascent banking industry.

More than a century ago, the monastery was constructed largely of iron and was damaged in fighting during World War II, but much of the original ironwork remains intact.

Many buildings, including several of historical significance, were damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Mocha.