U Thant House

U Thant House is located at 31 Upper Windermere Road in Kamayut Township, Yangon, Myanmar, and honours U Thant, the Burmese diplomat who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971. Born in Pantanaw in 1909, U Thant was a school headmaster and an associate of Prime Minister U Nu before becoming Burma's permanent representative to the UN in 1957. He was appointed acting Secretary-General after the death of Dag Hammarskjold in 1961 and then confirmed in the role, serving two terms. During his tenure he was involved in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, in the UN's handling of the Congo crisis, in the Cyprus mission and in efforts on the Vietnam War. He died in New York in 1974, and the Burmese military government of the time denied him a state funeral, which led to student protests in December 1974 when his body was brought back for burial. The house, a colonial-era residence in a leafy residential area, was the family home, and it is now run by the U Thant House Foundation and the U Thant Institute as a small museum and cultural centre. It contains photographs, documents, personal items and exhibits on his life and career, as well as a library and programmes for discussions on peace, human rights and development. The curatorial approach is biographical and thematic, using photographs and memorabilia, and the house is also used for talks and exhibitions of art. Access is generally by arrangement or during public events, and visitors should check opening hours in advance. It lies within a few minutes of Inya Lake and the University of Yangon. Dress modestly and ask before photographing inside. The house provides a view into mid-20th-century Burmese internationalism and its place in world politics, and it is sometimes combined with the Aung San Museum in the Bahan area.