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| 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. (Photo by=AFP/Ye Aung THU) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] A squad of armed 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.
The police were deployed to bolster local tourism police and firefighters, the teams ranging across the site by jeep, motorbike and foot. Each evening, about 100 officers fan out across the plain of Bagan measuring 50 sq km, sweeping torches over the crumbling monuments to scour for intruders.
"Our security forces are patrolling day and night," Police Lieutenant Colonel Sein Win tells AFP. "We have it under control for the moment, but it's a challenge."For now, the extra security seems to have stopped any break-ins at the most prestigious temples. This is the first time in decades the site has been so seriously targeted, says Myint Than, deputy director of Bagan's archaeological department, as he shows at one stupa how the looters scaled the walls to enter from the roof.
The central Myanmar city has around 3,500 ancient monuments, stupas, temples, murals and sculptures, and was finally added to the prestigious United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List last year. But the pandemic has stymied plans to capitalise on Bagan's newfound status.
