Moulmein, called “Little England” in colonial times, might be better nicknamed “Little Yangon” today.
Both Moulmein and Yangon were capitals of the once-British colony of Burma, now Myanmar, and that has left both cities with a treasure trove of colonial-era architecture.
The British chose Moulmein as their capital after the first Anglo-Burmese war, because of the safe harbour it offered at the mouth of the Salween River where it enters the Gulf of Martaban.
Moulmein, now Mawlamyine, is protected from storms by Bilu island which sits across the Salween, separating the town from the gulf.
Between 1826 and 1852, the British built government offices, churches and a massive prison in Moulmein. Most of these architectural gems, including the prison, remain in use as government facilities today, a little the worse for wear after 150 years.
“We are planning to do something with the colonial buildings,” said Aung Naing Moe, curator of the Mon Ethnic Museum in Moulmein.
“But right now we are more interested in completing some archaeological digs in Thaton and Martaban, which are related to Mon culture,” he said.
Another thing Moulmein and Yangon share is the Mon.
Both cities were originally inhabited by the Mon, an ethnic group that in medieval times settled in the central coastal areas of both Myanmar and Thailand.
The Mon established the cities of Pathein, in the Irrawaddy delta, Yangon and Bago, in central Myanmar, and Martaban on the gulf’s east shore.
Their supremacy in lower Myanmar came to an end with the rise of Tabin Shwe-ti, who became king of Pagan in 1531, and swiftly set about conquering all rival kingdoms.
He defeated Martaban, the last Mon holdout, in 1540. Annoyed by Martaban’s refusal to surrender quickly, Tabin Shwe-ti slaughtered the city’s 60,000 inhabitants and burned the massive fortress to the ground, according to an allegedly eyewitness account by the Portuguese adventurer Fernao Mendes Pinto.
The utter destruction of Martaban might explain why there is so little to see today of this “once enormously rich” coastal metropolis, situated across the Salween River north of Moulmein.
“I have found Martaban’s palace site, the palace pagoda and the moat wall,” said San Win, a Mon historian, retired from the history department of Myanmar’s Ministry of Culture.
Another site San Win is hoping to excavate is that of Thaton, the first Mon settlement, which he claims could be the original “Suvarnabhumi,” or legendary “Golden Land.” Other Myanmar historians question this claim. “The name Suvarnabhumi comes from India, from the time when Indian merchants sailed out to the East and they got gold in exchange for their goods,” said Toe Hla, vice chairman of the Myanmar Historical Commission.
“That’s why they called South-East Asia Suvarnabhumi.” Suvarnabhumi or not, excavation sites at either Thaton or Martaban would be welcomed as new tourist attractions.
Martaban today offers little more than a nice view of a pagoda-studded hillock from the northern tip of Moulmein. Moulmein was a restricted destination for western tourists until a few years ago because of security concerns.
Since the 2010 general election, Myanmar’s new government has signed ceasefire agreements with both insurgent groups.
Security problems appear to have shifted to the Rakhine state (home to Ngapali beach resort) where sectarian violence broke out in 2012 between Buddhist and Muslim communities.
“Because of the trouble in the Rakhine last year, tour agents had to find a new attraction to Ngapali, so Moulmein has become more popular,” said Ye Man, general manager of the Strand Hotel in Moulmein.
The itinerary for most western tourists in the Mon state usually includes a visit to the Golden Rock Pagoda, Moulmein and a side trip to Hpa-an, capital of neighbouring Karen (Kayin) state.
Another side trip is to the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, 30 kilometres south of Moulmein, which contains the remains of 3,771 prisoners of war from Australia, Britain, New Zealand, the Netherlands and United States who died building railways through the jungles of Thailand and Myanmar for the Japanese army 1942—43.DPA