Naypyidaw has a short history, having been founded on a greenfield site some 3km west of Pyinmana, and approximately 320km north of Yangon, with construction starting in 2002 [REF].
On 27 March 2006, more than 12,000 troops marched in the new capital in its first public event: a massive military parade to mark Armed Forces Day-which is the anniversary of then Burma's 1945 uprising against the Japanese occupation of Burma.