Officials in Thantlang, in northern Chin State, have withdrawn plans to construct a statue of General Aung San in the town. According to an article in The Irrawaddy, Ram Khar, chairman of Thantlang’s Municipal Affairs Committee, was quoted as saying that the plans were changed amid local opposition to the project. The project was expected to cost an estimated MMK 30 million. “We’ve got the budget already to build it, but local people protested it,” he said. “We informed the state government, but it’s ultimately our decision on the ground. Therefore, we decided to build a new park”. Chin State is one of Myanmar’s least developed states or regions, and local residents were calling on the funds to be used on local infrastructure. Aung San generally remains popular among Myanmar. However, the drive to build statues of him across the country have met with widespread criticism, especially in ethnic minority areas.