Historic Places; Preservation vs.

Annihilation

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government’s official compilation of cultural
resources that are significant for the local area, state, region and nation. It was created by the Congress
in 1966 with the enactment of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). 1 It is administered by the
National Park Service that is under the U.S Department of the Interior (DOI). 2 Its main purpose is to
recognize and preserve the historic building, structures, sites, objects, and districts that are significant.
By being listed in the National Register, the negative impact from the federally funded or licensed
projects on these properties can be reduced or eliminated. Moreover, the owners of these properties
can enjoy some financial incentives for preservation purposes. So far, there are about one million
properties listed on the National Register.3

Generally, a site must be over 50 years old to be listed in the National Register. Some sites can be
eligible to be on the list of National Register even though they are less than 50 years old. However, they
must be exceptionally significant. For over 50 years-old sites, there are four criteria to evaluate and one
of the criteria must be met to be registered on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the
National Park Service, the first criterion is stated that the sites “that are associated with events that
have made a significant contribution to be broad patterns of our history”. 4 For example, a site that is
related to the Civil War and significant can be listed on the National Register. If the site is associated
with the life of a person who was an important figure in American history, it can also be registered on
the National Register of Historical Places. The house of Ralph Waldo Emerson who was a great essayist,
poet and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early nineteenth century, was put on the
National Register database on October 15, 1966. The third criterion utters that any site that possesses
‘the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, high artistic values or that
represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction’.
There are hundreds of thousands of buildings, structures, objects and districts that are qualified and
recorded in the Nation Register.

Historic sites are ‘telescope’ of the past. Through that, we can trace the past. We can write about it,
learn valuable lessons from it or feel a sense of pride of it. Our beloved Rakhaingpray has plenty of
historic places that reveal our long and rich history. It is our national duty to preserve them in an original
shape and design as possible. On the other hand, any new modern project should not be implemented
on and close proximity of these areas. Knowingly or unknowingly leveling them for new development
projects is totally unacceptable. Preservation of historic place along with structural performance
(engineering), environmental impact and economical consideration (cost and benefit analysis) should be
priority of any architects and design engineers. For country like Burma where uniform army authorities
have final approval stamp for all projects, they must listen to what experts have to say.

I am not sure whether it is expert who failed to report or it is military authority who intended to destroy
Arakan’s rich history. One thing I know is Kyauktaw-Mrauk U highway was constructed paving on parts
of old ruins of Vesali. It is a deplorable act with intent to hurt not only Arakan historically but also
Arakanese psychologically. Now again, Burmese military government has waged another psychological
war against Arakanese by building railroad crossing old Danyawaddy. Burmese government never
recognized Danyawaddy era of Arakanese history. Thanks to recent excavation, physical evidences have
corroborated Arakanese claims. It is in our interest to dig deeper and broader to collect more evidence
and to uncover more truth. But the government is now trying to fill these grounds back with dirt and
railroad track. According to sources inside Burma’s Ministry of Construction, the experts reported to
local authorities and government’s Department of Archeology which is under Ministry of Culture that
the current railroad plan will run through historic Danyawaddy site. However, the plan was approved by
Burma’s own Ministry of Culture whose ultimate objective, the last time I checked, is to preserve
nation’s heritage.

It’s heartbreaking to know how military government is systematically trying to wipe out our history.
Comparing the two nations with U.S and Burma, the difference is amazing. One nation tries to preserve
any significant places that are generally 50 years old. One nation is destroying significant places that are
over thousand years old. In such challenging time, it is imperative to closely monitor that railroad
project and to collect photographic and other types of evidence in order to disclose the government’s
annihilation scheme.

Khaing Marm Khaing

U.S.A

Reference

1. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, The National Historic Preservation Program,

http://www.achp.gov/nhpp.html, accessed on June 17, 2010.
2. National Register of Historic Places, http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/, accessed
on June 17, 2010.
3. National Register of Historic Places; The official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of
preservation, National Register Research, http://www.nps.gov/nr/research/index.htm, accessed
on June 17, 2010.
4. Wikipedia, National Register of Historic Places,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places, accessed on June 17, 2010.