‘Defanging’ Aung San: Myanmar’s generals wage war on memory

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

Across Myanmar, the statues are vanishing one by one. Military-backed authorities blame “incorrect proportions and shapes”. Unofficially, analysts see a deliberate attempt to erase the presence of independence hero Aung San from public life – and with it, the legitimacy of the elected government the junta overthrew. Revered as the country’s founding father, Aung San founded its military, united its diverse ethnic groups and spearheaded the nationalist movement that ultimately wrested...