Ministers' Building
The Ministers' Building was the administrative seat of British Burma, in downtown Yangon, Burma and is the spot where Aung San and eight cabinet ministers were assassinated. The British administration moved the office from Strand Road after administrative work increased greatly resulting in an urgent need to expand the cramped and poorly lit administration building.
Location
The building is situated on. It takes up an entire city block with Anawrahta Road to the north, Theinbyu Road to the east, Maha Bandoola Road to the south and Bo Aung Kyaw Street to the west. It is about South East of Yangon Central Railway Station and east of the Sule Pagoda.Construction
The Victorian-style building is made from red and yellow brick and constructed in a U-shape. Construction began in late 1889. The central building was completed in 1902, while the complex's eastern and western wings were finished in 1905, at the cost of Rs.2.5 million. Until 1972, the complex was called the Government Secretariat.The British assigned Henry Hoyne-Fox, executive engineer at government's public works the task of designing a sprawling new Victorian-style complex on 16 acres in Yangon.Structure
The building is a U-shape with the parliament building engulfed around. Due to the city's soft landscape, the Northern Wing of the building sunk a few meters underground. The Eastern and Western Wing was constructed and finished in 1905 to support it. The building originally consists of 16 cupolas but only eight of them survived. They are designed similar to the structure of the Crown of Queen Victoria.The steel used in the support structure of the buildings was shipped in from Glasgow, Scotland and the original roof tiles were manufactured in France while the bricks and teak for the woodwork were locally sourced across Asia.
Parliament Building
The Parliament building was built in 1919. It is the very place where the independence of the country was handed over by the British on 4 January 1948. In-front of the building is the flagpole where the Union Jack was lowered and the flag of Independent Burma was raised. Just a few meters away from it is a brick monument memorizing the 7 fallen ministers of the 1947 assassination..The assassination of Bogyoke Aung San
This building is where General Aung San, the father of modern Myanmar, spent his working days. On 19 July 1947, during a meeting of the Executive Council at the Ministers Building, Aung San and eight cabinet ministers were assassinated by a gang of armed paramilitaries. They had been sent by the former Prime Minister U Saw. This day is now commemorated as Burmese Martyrs' Day. The building is currently on the Yangon City Heritage List and restoration work is underway, parts of the complex are open to the public and there is an informative guided tour for a fee.Restoration
Two of the four towers on the corner buildings as well as the central dome collapsed during an earthquake in the 1930s. The building has been vacant since the government was moved to the new capital Naypyidaw. The government debated whether to restore it and turn it into a hotel or museum. In 2011, amid national discussions on converting Yangon's colonial-era buildings to attract tourism, plans were made to convert the Ministers' Building into a museum, not a hotel.In February 2012, seven local companies and three foreign companies submitted a proposal to the Myanmar Investment Commission to convert the Ministers' Building into a Martyrs' Museum, culture aspect and theme park. Anawmar Art Group will operate the museum under the guidance of historians, curators and the Yangon Heritage Trust. The room where the assassination had taken place had been used as a Buddhist shrine until 2016.
Availability to public
Daily Guided Heritage Tours
The Secretariat now offers Daily Guided Heritage Tours to visitors for a peek behind closed doors and construction scaffolding.Explore the history of the colossal colonial building and learn the details of the complex's multi-year renovation effort while being escorted by an expert local guide.
Your "insider's" journey through The Secretariat Yangon will take you to see the stately interior of the historic Yangon Parliament House where Burma's self-rule first began and the West Wing location of the assassination of General Aung San, the father of Modern Myanmar, and 6 cabinet members on 19 July 1947, as well as into areas that are still under renovation.
As you and your guide wind your way through the layers of history you will see original teak wood details, soaring ceiling heights, and if construction activity allows, the impressive double spiral iron staircase in the South Wing of the complex.
Tours are available every hour starting at 9:30 am and the final tour will depart at 4:30 pm.
Daily Guided Heritage Tour cost:
Foreign Adult: US$10 - Ks.15,000/- per person
Foreign Child under 12 years of age: US$5 - Ks.8,000/- per child
Myanmar Adult: Ks.3,000/- per person
Myanmar Child under 12 years of age: Ks.1,000/- per child
Child under 4 years of age: FREE