YANGON - Statues of independence hero Aung San are quietly disappearing across Myanmar in a contest over his legacy as father of both the nation and of detained democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi.

General Aung San fought with, and against, both the British and the Japanese colonisers as he sought independence, but was assassinated on July 19, 1947, just months before his dream was realised.

Considered the father of modern-day Myanmar, his statues have dotted the country for decades.

Many were added while Suu Kyi’s party was in power – and many are now being taken down by the government of Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader who ousted her in 2021.

In Yangon’s Thu Mingalar Park, an AFP reporter this week noted the absence of one towering likeness installed almost a decade ago, grass newly planted in its place.

The government has acknowledged taking down some statues it said had “incorrect proportions and shapes”.

But analysts say the removals may be an attempt to erase from public spaces a powerful symbol linked to Suu Kyi, the popular Nobel laureate who remains detained.

Aung San is “engraved in people’s memory” as Myanmar’s independence hero, and many see his legacy being continued by his daughter, according to Myanmar specialist Moe Thuzar.

Historical legacy

While in power from 2016-2020, during Myanmar’s decade-long experiment with democracy, Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) put up statues and also returned Aung San’s face to local currency notes.

They could be seen as “efforts to revive his historical legacy”, Moe Thuzar said.

Since the coup, which triggered a ...