Sittwe

[sit-wey]

Sittwe or Akyab, city (1983 pop. 107,607), capital of Rakhine State, W Myanmar, at the mouth of the Kaladan River and on the Bay of Bengal. It is an important port and rice-milling center. Originally a small fishing village, it became a port for the export of rice after the British occupied it in 1826.

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Sittwe

Sittwe is a town in Rakhine State, in the westernmost part of Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe (Rakhine: Saitway), formerly known as Akyab, is located on an estuarial island created by the confluence of the Kaladan River, Myu River, and Lemyo River emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The 2006 population 181,000 and it is the provincial capital.

History

Originally a small fishing village, Sittwe became an important seat of maritime commerce, especially as a port for the export of rice after the British occupation of Arakan, now known as Rakhine State, following the First Anglo-Burmese War.

Sittwe was the location of a battle during the conquest of Arakan by the Burmese king Bodawpaya. In 1784, the Burmese expeditionary force, some 30,000 strong, encountered the governor of Urittaung Province, Saite-ké(General) Aung and his force of 3000. Outnumbered hugely, the Arakanese force tried to fight the Burmese forces on both land and sea, but were brutally crushed. This defeat opened the route towards the inland Arakanese capital of Mrauk U, which was soon conquered, ending the independence of the Arakanese. According to Arakanese lore, all of the Arakanese defenders were killed.

During the First Anglo-Burmese War (1823-1826) the British forces landed at Sittwe and stationed their forces by the ancient pagoda, Ahkyaib-daw, which is still standing at the head of the city. The British adopted the name Akyab for the place. In 1826, the seat of government was transferred from the old Arakan capital of Mrohaung to Sittwe on the seacoast. During the first 40 years of British rule it increased from a village to a town of 15,536 inhabitants, and by 1901 it was the third port of Burma with a population of 31,687. During colonial times, Sittwe had a bad reputation for malaria and cholera, although historical records indicate that it was no better or worse than many other locations along the India coast.

Etymology

The name Sittwe is the Burmese version of Saite Twêy, which means ‘the place where the war meets. When the Burmese King Bodawpaya invaded the Rakhine kingdom in 1784, the Arakanese defenders encountered the Burmese force at the mouth of Kissapanadi (Kalandan) River. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on both land and water, the Arakanese were defeated. The place where the battle occurred came to be called Saite Twêy by the Arakanese and colloquialized as 'Sittwe' by the Burmese.

Religion

The city is predominantly Buddhist but there is a large Rohingya commuinity as well as other muslims groups causing ethnic and religious tensions.

Ahkyaib-daw, is one of the most sacred Buddhist pagodas, believed to have built in the days of Emperor Asoka (r. 269-232 BCE). The pagoda Ahdyaid-daw, meaning maxillary bone, is believed to be built on a foundation encasing a piece of Buddha’s maxillary bone hence its name.

Sittwe is the birthplace of political monks in Myanmar. It was the birthplace of U Ottama, who was the first monk to protest against the colonial British. Also, in the recent 2007 riots, it was the monks in Sittwe who were the first to protest.

Other

The city is home to the Sittway University. The British writer Hector Hugh Munro, better known under his pen name Saki, was born in Sittwe in 1870, and returned to Burma, as it was then, to work as a young police officer.

In February 2007, India announced a plan to develop the port, which would enable ocean access from Indian Northeastern states like Mizoram, via the Kaladan River.. Sittwe's citizenry, especially Buddhist monks, have participated in the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests