Century-old lighthouses along Arakan coast in dire need of repair

By Admin 20 Sep 2023

DMG Newsroom
20 September 2023, Sittwe
 
Colonial-era lighthouses in Sittwe, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Manaung, Thandwe and Kyaukphyu townships in Arakan State are reportedly in urgent need of repair.
 
There are eight lighthouses — Lay Shan Taung lighthouse in Sittwe, Oyster or Mayu lighthouse in Rathedaung, Ohnkyun lighthouse in Maungdaw, Latphatkyun lighthouse in Manaung, Nantha Kyun and Obntapin Kyun lighthouses in Thandwe, and Paungnetkyi lighthouse in Kyaukphyu — in Arakan State.
 
These lighthouses were built during the colonial era, and are currently more than 100 years old and are deteriorating, and require preservation.
 
“Unpreserved lighthouses slowly decay. As for the Lay Shan Taung lighthouse in Sittwe, it will gradually deteriorate if not maintained because the bushes are growing and facilitating decay. The traces left by the English era are gradually disappearing, and so are the historical records. Future generations will not see these things,” said U Kyaw Maung from Sittwe, who is doing research on buildings of the colonial era.
 
The Lay Shan Taung lighthouse in Sittwe was built by the British government in 1884 and is one of the earliest lighthouses in Myanmar. The Lay Shan Taung lighthouse has been showing signs of deterioration over the years, including damage to the pillars inside and cracks around the building.
 
The Oyster lighthouse on the Mayu Island in Rathedaung Township does not have a retaining wall, and it needs to be preserved because it has been eroded by natural disasters and the cliff is gradually collapsing.
 
“As Mayu Island is located in a remote area, the cliffs will gradually deteriorate if the Oyster Lighthouse is not well preserved. We would like to build a retaining wall to protect the Oyster Lighthouse from erosion,” said Ko Yan Naung Soe, a resident of Rathedaung.
 
The Oyster or Mayu Lighthouse in Rathedaung was built by the British government in 1885 and is one of the largest lighthouses in Myanmar.
 
Myanmar Port Authority officials have said that a total of nearly K4.6 billion — K1,500 million in the fiscal year 2017-2018, K771 million in the financial year 2018-2019 and K2314 million in the 2018-2019 FY — was spent on construction of a retaining wall for the Oyster or Mayu Lighthouse in Rathedaung, but it has not been completed to this day.
 
Local support for preserving lighthouses along the Arakan coast appears to be strong. 
 
“The fishermen in Manaung relied on this lighthouse completely as a marker. Although the times have changed, the lighthouse is still in use, so we want to preserve it so that it doesn’t get damaged,” said U Win Maung Than, the administrator of Zeetaw Village in Manaung Township.
 
The Latphatkyun Lighthouse in Manaung Township was built in 1909, and the iron pillars used as internal supports have deteriorated and are no longer sturdy, according to local residents.
 
DMG phoned Myanmar Port Authority officials regarding the maintenance of lighthouses in Arakan State, but they could not be reached.
 
Locals say if the colonial-era lighthouses are preserved, they will be useful for waterways transport, and could also become local attractions that boost tourism.