Insein Township

The word "Insein" means "precious lake" in the Burmese language, and is also a former name of Inya lake.{{cite book| title= journal of the Burma Research Society|volume=39-41|year=1955|pages=188}} However, the etymology of "Insein" is derived from the Mon language term {{langx|mnw|အၚ်စိၚ်}} ({{IPA|/ɛŋ coiŋ/}}), meaning "elephant lake."{{Cite journal|last=Tun|first=Than|date=1988|title=Observations on the Translation and Annotation of the Royal Orders Of Burma|journal=Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies|volume=4|issue=1|pages=91–99|jstor=40860260}}{{Cite web|url=http://burmese.phophtawnews.org/index.php/feature/item/852-2013-11-07-04-04-57.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626130840/http://burmese.phophtawnews.org/index.php/feature/item/852-2013-11-07-04-04-57.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 June 2015|title=မွန်တို့ဌာနေ ရာမည တိုင်းက မွန် အခေါ်အဝေါ်များ|last=Banyar|first=Ko|date=7 November 2013|website=Phophtaw News Association}}

Insein was a famous battle site in the Burmese civil war that erupted after the country's independence from the United Kingdom in January 1948. Insein was the limit Karen insurgents reached in January 1949 in their ambitious attempt to take Yangon and oust the Burmese government.{{cite news|author=Aung Zaw |work=The Irrawaddy |url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15080 |title=The Battle of Insein Never Really Ended |date=2009-02-09 |access-date=15 March 2009 |archive-date=14 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214024350/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15080 |url-status=dead }}

Until the 1990s, Insein, about {{convert|20|mi}} from central Yangon, was beyond Yangon's city limits although by the 1980s, Insein was already integrated with the rest of the city. With the expansion of Yangon's city limits in the 1990s which also included founding new satellite towns, Insein was formally incorporated into Yangon.

Insein is also home to Insein Prison, which is notorious worldwide for its inhumane conditions, corruption, abuse of inmates, and use of mental and physical torture, especially against political dissidents during the 1988-2011 State Law and Order Restoration Council era.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3006922.stm |title=Asia-Pacific | Inside Burma's Insein prison |publisher=BBC News |date=2009-05-14 |access-date=2013-12-25}}[http://www.khrg.org/khrg93/93_12_05.html CURRENT CONDITIONS IN INSEIN PRISON] www.khrg.org {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705233307/http://www.khrg.org/khrg93/93_12_05.html |date=July 5, 2007 }}

In 2019, the township had 285,500 people.{{cite web|url=http://themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/documents/TspProfiles_GAD_Insein_2019_MMR.pdf|title=General Administration Department’s 2019 census of Insein}}{{cite web|url=http://www.yangoncity.com.mm/maps/townships_pro.asp?tname=insein |title=Insein Township |publisher=Yangon City Development Committee |access-date=2009-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002033747/http://www.yangoncity.com.mm/maps/townships_pro.asp?tname=insein |archive-date=2 October 2011 |url-status=dead }} In 2023, the township only had 247675 people. Between 2022 and 2023, the township lost 12,079.

Insein has 33 primary schools, ten middle schools and six high schools. Karen Baptist Theological Seminary, the Myanmar Institute of Theology, the University of Paramedical Science, Yangon, Yangon Technological University and are located in the township.

The Insein General Hospital is the principal hospital.

Thiri Sandar Hospital

Kwekabaw Hospital

Kaung Hospital and

KBC Hospital are private hospitals

There is YCDC Golf Club Swimming Pool & Restaurant{{cite web | url=https://www.myanmore.com/activities-directory/listing/city-golf-resort-ycdc| title=Activities-Directory}} located at Thiri Mingalar street.

The following is a list of landmarks protected by the city in Insein township.{{cite journal|url=http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/myanmartimes/no87/New/14.htm |title=Special Reports: Heritage List |journal=The Myanmar Times |date=2001-10-29 |archive-date=15 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615164607/http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/myanmartimes/no87/New/14.htm |url-status=dead }}

{{Reflist}}

{{Yangon Division}}

{{Administrative divisions of Burma (Myanmar)}}

Category:Townships of Yangon