Looters Target Myanmar Temple Treasures In Tourist Slump

Bagan, Myanmar, July 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2020 ) :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.

Each evening as dusk falls, about 100 officers fan out across the plain of Bagan measuring 50 square kilometres (19 square miles), 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." The central Myanmar city is strewn with more than 3,500 ancient monuments - stupas, temples, murals and sculptures - and was finally added to the prestigious UNESCO world heritage list last year.

But the pandemic has stymied plans to capitalise on Bagan's new-found status.

The dearth of visitors means temples and hotels lie empty, crushing the livelihoods of locals and opening doors to opportunistic burglars.

In a spate of break-ins across the holy site in early June, robbers looted 12 different temples, swiping a range of relics, including copper stupas, ancient coins and jade jewellery.

The 35th Battalion regional police squad have been deployed to bolster local tourism police and firefighters, the teams ranging across the site by jeep, motorbike and foot.

"It's not easy to patrol as the area is so big," one police officer says through his face mask, worn by all on duty to protect against COVID-19.

They also need to be on their guard against the area's numerous venomous snakes, he adds, asking not to be named.