Restoring Rangoon

101 East takes a rare peek inside Yangon's most famous building, as Myanmar's colonial architecture is under threat.

"This place is about to change so much, but right now, the building feels like it’s ours," assistant producer Pailin Wedel and I were taking in the sunset as it reflected cross the 16 hectare complex of the Secretariat, turning the walls the same deep shade of red as the flame trees in the courtyard. It was a high point after two days roaming around Yangon’s most famous building for 101 East on the shoot of Restoring Rangoon. We felt like explorers, discovering hidden corners and a ladder that took us to our spectacular vantage point on the roof. "Who knows what it will look like in a few years," I said. "But for sure, we won’t be allowed to sit on the roof."

The Secretariat, built in the late 19th century, is the grande dame of all Yangon’s historic buildings. It sits at the heart of the city, the former seat of British colonial power, but is more commonly associated with the assassination of Myanmar’s national hero, General Aung San. Yangon residents once spent warm evenings in the shade of its gardens, but when the military took control of the country in 1962 it was declared off limits.