Looters target Myanmar temple treasures in tourist slump

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, March 19, 2024


Looters target Myanmar temple treasures in tourist slump
This photo taken on June 22, 2020 shows members of a police squad riding in a police truck during a patrol of a temple complex in Bagan, Mandalay Region. A squad of gun-toting police patrol Myanmar's sacred site of Bagan under the cover of night, taking on plunderers snatching relics from temples forsaken by tourists due to coronavirus restrictions. Ye Aung THU / AFP.



YANGON (AFP).- Two high-ranking officers were fired for having "failed their responsibilities" after a landslide in Myanmar killed at least 174 jade miners, the country's military said on Monday in a rare public sanctioning.

Heavy monsoon rains on Thursday sent mud cascading down a hillside over workers scouring the land for the green gemstone in Hpakant in northern Kachin state.

The victims were largely poor migrants who had travelled across the country to prospect in the treacherous open-cast mines, hoping to find valuable stones left behind by the big companies.

It was the worst tragedy in living memory to hit the shadowy, multi-billion dollar industry dominated by firms linked to the military.

A Facebook post Monday by the military announced Kachin Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Nay Lin Tun and another unnamed commander had been removed from their posts.

"They were responsible for reporting any trespassing in this restricted area," spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told AFP.

"They failed their responsibilities."

The military would hold an investigation and appropriate action against the two men would be taken, he added.

Unidentified miners have been buried in mass graves, while many more remain missing.

They join scores of informal prospectors killed each year in Hpakant as they search for the stone so highly prized over the border in China.

The industry is mired in secrecy. Environmental watchdog Global Witness alleges operators are linked to the military elite and its cronies.

The group estimated the industry was worth some $31 billion in 2014, although very little reaches state coffers.

Some compensation has been handed to the families of the deceased, but observers have criticised the government for a perceived lack of sympathy.

Environment Minister Ohn Win told local media Sunday that "greedy" miners were to blame while civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has not released a formal statement.

Ethnic Kachin insurgents and the military have been fighting over northern Myanmar's natural resources and the revenues they bring for decades.

The whole industry is a "massive organised crime operation" that exploits those at the bottom, said Yangon-based independent analyst Richard Horsey.




Heavy monsoon rains on Thursday sent mud cascading down a hillside over workers scouring the land for the green gemstone in Hpakant in northern Kachin state.

The victims were largely poor migrants who had travelled across the country to prospect in the treacherous open-cast mines, hoping to find valuable stones left behind by the big companies.

It was the worst tragedy in living memory to hit the shadowy, multi-billion dollar industry dominated by firms linked to the military.

A Facebook post Monday by the military announced Kachin Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Nay Lin Tun and another unnamed commander had been removed from their posts.

"They were responsible for reporting any trespassing in this restricted area," spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told AFP.

"They failed their responsibilities."

The military would hold an investigation and any appropriate action against the two men would be taken, he added.

Unidentified miners have been buried in mass graves, while many more remain missing.

They join scores of informal prospectors killed each year in Hpakant as they search for the stone so highly prized over the border in China.

The industry is mired in secrecy. Environmental watchdog Global Witness alleges operators are linked to the military elite and its cronies.

The group estimated the industry was worth some $31 billion in 2014, although very little reaches state coffers.

Some compensation has been handed to the families of the deceased, but observers have criticised the government for a perceived lack of sympathy.

Environment Minister Ohn Win told local media Sunday that "greedy" miners were to blame while civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has not released a formal statement.

Ethnic Kachin insurgents and the military have been fighting over northern Myanmar's natural resources and the revenues they bring for decades.

The whole industry is a "massive organised crime operation" that exploits those at the bottom, said Yangon-based independent analyst Richard Horsey.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

July 7, 2020

Ancient Rome was teetering. Then a volcano erupted 6,000 miles away.

Students' calls to remove a mural were answered. Now comes a lawsuit.

Holiday park sculpture by artist Calder on sale in Paris

Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone dead at 91

Looters target Myanmar temple treasures in tourist slump

France's Louvre reopens after 16-week virus shutdown

U.K. announces $2 billion bailout to help keep the arts afloat

World's first 3D printed FRP footbridge paves way for circular composites

David Zwirner opens an exhibition of work by the Japanese American sculptor Leo Amino

Francesca Torzo wins the Italian Architecture Prize with the new exhibition wing for Z33

In Lebanon, single-concert festival serenades empty ruins

Heritage Auctions sells more U.S. coins than all other auctioneers combined during first six months of 2020

'Devil Went Down to Georgia' country star Charlie Daniels dies

Dalai Lama channels 'Inner World' in album to mark 85th birthday

Dulce Nunes, bossa nova star of the 1960s, dies at 90

Memorial in Brixton in honour of Cherry Groce to be unveiled this Autumn

The return of the art fair: VOLTA Miami debuts during Miami Art Week 2020

Patricia Fleming Projects opens an online exhibition of works by Kate V Robertson

The Phillips announces first digital Intersections

New monumental sculpture by Not Vital is unveiled at Muzeum Susch

National Portrait Gallery commissions new portrait of Zadie Smith by Toyin Ojih Odutola

Nick Cordero, nominated for Tony as tap-dancing tough guy, dies at 41

Russia warns Turkey over Hagia Sophia move

Walker Art Center reopens to the public July 16

Massey Klein Gallery exhibits works by Claire Lieberman, Louis Reith and Bethany Czarnecki

The Top Benefits Of eCommerce

Fantastic Prank Apps in 2020

In-Water Ship Survey, Repairs & Maintenance

Bounce House Rental Phoenix Az Amazing Jumps, Tents, and Events

Fifth Geek

The Marketing Heaven




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful