National Archives of Myanmar

The National Archives of Myanmar, officially known as the Department of National Archives (NAD), is an agency of the Burmese government charged with collecting, safeguarding, and conserving national records and archives.[1] The National Archives are housed in Naypyidaw's Ottarathiri Township and in Yangon's Dagon Township.[2] The National Archives provides reference services and access to local and foreign researchers.[3]

National Archives Department
အမျိုးသားမှတ်တမ်းများမော်ကွန်းတိုက် ဦးစီးဌာန
Agency overview
Formed1973; 51 years ago (1973)
Superseding agency
  • Library of Secretaries
HeadquartersNaypyidaw, Myanmar
Agency executive
  • San Myint, Director-General
Parent agencyMinistry of Planning and Finance
Key document
  • National Records and Archive Law
Websitewww.nam.gov.mm

The National Archives is a member of the International Council on Archives (ICA) and Southeast Asia Regional Branch of International Council on Archives (SARBICA).[4]

Charter

edit

The National Archives are governed by the National Records and Archive Law, first promulgated on 13 September 1990 and amended on 21 February 2007.[5] The Defence Services Historical Research Institute separately maintains records pertaining to the Tatmadaw.[5]

History

edit

The National Archives were preceded by the Library of Secretaries office, which collected only government publications), founded in 1972.[6] The following year, the body was upgraded to a third-grade institution, to a second-grade institution in 1990, and to a first-grade department in 2012.[7] The National Archive headquarters were relocated to Naypyidaw in May 2015.[7]

Collections

edit

The National Archives houses historically significant documents and collections, including 34 parabaik and 5205 palm leaf manuscripts, colonial-era government publications, the Panglong Agreement, the Aung San-Attlee Agreement, the Nu-Attlee Agreement, and the Burmese Declaration of Independence.[8][6] These records span from the last two kings of the Konbaung dynasty to the present-day.[8] A notable item in the collection is a Maha Bandula palm-leaf manuscript that was transferred from Kolkata's Victoria Museum in 1987.[6]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Vision, Mission & Objectives". Ministry of Finance & Planning. 2018.
  2. ^ "Contact Us". Ministry of Finance & Planning. 2018.
  3. ^ "Services". Ministry of Finance & Planning. 2018.
  4. ^ "Paper reading session on archival research method held to commemorate International Archives Day". Myanmar News Agency. 10 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b "National Records and Archives Law" (PDF). Government of Myanmar. 21 February 2007.
  6. ^ a b c "The Documentary heritage of Myanmar: selected case studies". UNESCO. 2018. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  7. ^ a b "Brief History". Ministry of Finance & Planning. 2018.
  8. ^ a b Zin, Hmwe Kyu (3 June 2018). "National Archives: where national and historical records are kept". The Global New Light of Myanmar. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
edit