By Cherry May / MPA
TAUNGGYI, Myanmar — Residents of Taunggyi, the capital of southern Shan State, have voiced intense outrage after the ruling military council secretly demolished the city’s historic landmark clock tower during the midnight hours of 21 July 2026.
The surprise destruction of the public heritage site occurred along Tabinshwehtee Road, home to the iconic Clock Tower Night Market. Local sources confirmed that municipal authorities forcefully displaced street vendors to Merchant Street, north of the Myoma Central Market, under the pretext of clearing space for a proposed seven-story multi-level parking complex to be constructed by the junta-aligned Thiha Company.
Subsequent to clearing the area, regime authorities deployed heavy machinery under cover of night to completely level the structure before dawn.
While regime officials claimed the nocturnal demolition was executed for “public safety concerns” owing to the tower’s height, local residents flatly rejected the explanation as a fraudulent excuse designed to pre-empt civilian protests.
“They claimed they wiped it out at midnight because the tower’s height posed a hazard to bystanders, but everyone knows it was a cowardly attempt to evade public scrutiny,” an immediate neighbor to the site told reporters.
Erected in the 1990s alongside the Taunggyi Myoma Market, the suspension bridge, and the two-story overpass, the clock tower stood as an essential historical anchor reflecting decades of urban development and the socio-economic evolution of the regional capital.
A 65-year-old male resident expressed deep indignation over the destruction of the public symbol.
“Destroying our clock tower is equivalent to destroying the identity and dignity of Taunggyi itself,” the elder resident stated bitterly.
Following the relocation of the nearby night market, vendors reported that the once-vibrant commercial hub has devolved into an unregulated, precarious street market.
Prior to the demolition, residents actively launched online petitions urging the military administration to preserve the iconic tower. However, the military council ignored public calls and proceeded with its destruction.
The incident follows a broader pattern of cultural erasure across Myanmar. In the days preceding Martyr’s Day on 19 July, military authorities surreptitiously removed at least 15 statues of General Aung San across multiple townships in late-night operations to avoid public resistance.
