[Buddha-l] Buggering up the monuments in old Burma

[jkirk]

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=4,1090,0,0,1,0
Burma military turns old city to its own use
By Thomas Crampton, International Herald Tribune, April 24, 2005
Theme park rises
BAGAN, Burma
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Having been there myself, I shudder at this latest example of
21st c imperium. The Burmese military's incredible lack of respect for the
country's most impressive collections of Buddhist monuments in place is a
telling indication of their lack of love and respect for their own country
and also of their deplorable vulgarity. (Yes, I said vulgarity.)

Quotes form the article:
" They are digging up this wealthy archaeological zone to build artificial
lakes, golf courses, and now a [concrete] structure based on their imagined
idea of the palace,..."

"A Disney-style fantasy version of one of the world's great religious and
historical sites is being created by that government," said Christian
Manhart, a program specialist for UNESCO. ''They use the wrong materials to
build wrongly shaped structures on top of magnificent ancient stupas."

Joanna