Mrauk-U conservation seen as reconstructing not preserving

By Ei Ei Thu   |   Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Heritage zones in Mrauk-U, Rakhine State, are under threat due to renovations that have altered the designs of ancient pagodas, the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust claims.

Nuns pray in Mrauk-U, Rakhine State. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing / The Myanmar TimesNuns pray in Mrauk-U, Rakhine State. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing / The Myanmar Times
The Department of Archaeology and the National Museum in Sittwe are both operating construction sites.

“They have destroyed the ancient architecture. For example, everyone who comes to visit the Ko Thaung Pagoda agrees that the renovation is badly done because it now looks totally different from its original design,” said Daw Khin Than, chair of the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust.

Ko Thaung Pagoda – a name which translates to “90,000 Pagodas” – is the largest in Mrauk-U.

The Mrauk-U Heritage Trust is also concerned about the construction of a museum in the heritage zone, on the site of an old colonial building. “They received a budget of K300 million for the construction and now they want to spend it all,” said Daw Khin Than.

In the heritage sites of Mrauk-U, the construction of new buildings is forbidden by a 1998 law.

“We have appealed to the Rakhine State government many times to ban the construction of the museum and explained to them why, but they replied to the Department of Archeology that the construction would continue as planned,” Daw Khin Than said.

The heritage zone in Bagan also falls under the protection of the 1998 law, but some hotels built in the area are now under investigation for possible violation of the law where a significant increase in tourism threatens conservation of the site.

The preservation of Mrauk-U, the last capital of the Arakanese kingdom, now faces similar threats, experts say. Parts of the heritage site were destroyed years ago for the construction of a railroad.

“The Department of Archaeology has conducted renovation on the palace, the city wall, several pagodas and other sites with a K660 million budget in Mrauk-U in the 2014-15 financial year, but all sites were damaged due to incorrect reconstruction,” according to the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust.

The organisation said that renovation work had also been done on the Ko Thaung Pagoda with a budget of K590 million during the 2015-16 financial year.

“We don’t know whether they are trying to preserve or destroy the pagodas,” Daw Khin Than said.

U Kyaw Hla Mg, president of the Regional Guide Society, sees great potential for Mrauk-U to become a tourist destination, if ancient pagodas hidden by hills and forest are systematically uncovered.

“The Department of Archeology has only uncovered 5 percent of pagodas are now hidden in the forests; the other 95 percent are now lost,” he said.

More than 3500 tourists visited Mrauk-U in 2014 and about 4200 in 2015, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. There are 1552 ancient pagodas in Mrauk-U and 6352 in the whole of Rakhine State.

“We could try to be listed as a [UNESCO] World Heritage Site but the renovations conducted by the Department of Archeology have destroyed the old architecture. It was reconstruction rather than renovation and ancient religious buildings were demolished,” U Kyaw Hla Mg said.

Daw Khin Than of the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust sees the renovations as a great loss for the Rakhine people. “We would like to show the Rakhine heritage to the world, but it has all been destroyed.”

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/18655-mrauk-u-conservation-seen-as-reconstructing-not-preserving.html

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At Mrauk U, Living Heritage and Crumbling Splendor in Need of Conservation

 By THIN LEI WIN / MYANMAR NOW| Friday, February 26, 2016 |

MRAUK U, ARAKAN STATE — The archeological museum chronicling the ancient Arakan kingdom of Mrauk U, one of Burma’s most important cultural sites, is housed in an unassuming, one-story building with a worn-out sign that has letters missing.

Located on the old palace grounds, it has one main room and three side rooms where you can find intricate stone carvings, exquisite bronze Buddhas and beautiful glazed tiles. Some of the art on display dates back to the 8th century, while much stems from 15th and 16th centuries, when the Arakan Kingdom of Mrauk U, located in the north of present-day Arakan State, was at its zenith.

Low-ceilinged, badly lit, devoid of visitors and with the treasures displayed in a seemingly random manner, the state of the museum reflects the state of this ancient city—full of forgotten, magnificent ruins in urgent need of concerted conservation efforts.

I actually didn’t come to the town of Mrauk U on a recent visit to enjoy the sights, but to attend and help moderate an ethnic media conference held here. I also planned to interview Arakanese villagers affected by the December fighting between the rebels of the Arakan Army and the military. The latter plan, however, was scuttled by Burma’s notoriously vague and confusing bureaucracy

To visit the affected villages, I was told, I needed permission from the Arakan State Ministry of Information in Sittwe. But once there, I was informed I needed permission from four other offices, including the Ministry of Border Affairs and Ministry of Immigration and Population, a requirement for which there was no time. In Mrauk U, the township administrator simply suggested I travel back to Sittwe to gain the necessary authorizations.

Determined not to waste my trip, I decided to visit Mrauk U, a legendary but difficult to reach heritage site I had long wanted to visit. What I found was a small, dusty but lively town situated among the crumbling splendor of 15th and 16th century Buddhist temples.

Old-World Feel


The Buddhist zedis in Mrauk U are dark, its bricks stained with moss as a result of the region’s hot summers and heavy monsoon season. This gives the stupas a more austere, old-world feel, unlike the heavily gilded ones common in Burma. Some no longer have roofs and many have vegetation growing around the temples and Buddha statues, reinforcing the feeling that you are seeing things through a filter, or have been transported to a bygone era.

Inside, they evoke awe, with long, secluded stone passageways decorated with intricately carved figurines and thousands of Buddhas in varying shapes and sizes. There aren’t as many pagodas here as in Bagan, the ancient Buddhist complex in central Burma, where the authorities have evicted villages from the archeological zone to promote tourism and hotel construction by well-connected companies.

Here, the history is exists amid a bustling ethnic Arakanese community, creating a unique sense of a continued and living history. Mrauk U was the capital of the Arakan Kingdom, which fell in 1784 to the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty. At the height of their power, Arakanese kings controlled an area covering parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Arakan State and western part of lower Burma.

Compared to Bagan, Mrauk U gets a tiny fraction of tourists, partly due to the difficulty of getting there. There are no direct flights and the only way to the site is a three-hour boat ride from Rakhine’s capital Sittwe on the Mrauk U River, or a lengthy car journey. The uncertainty ahead of the November 8 elections deterred many tourists this year too, locals say, while the town suffered its worst floods in 50 years six months ago, damaging local businesses and worsening the dusty, pot-holed roads.

Another deterrent—one that locals don’t like talk about—is the 2012 communal violence in Mrauk U and other northern Arakan townships, which left both Rohingya Muslims and Arakanese Buddhist communities deeply scarred and segregated, and has made international headlines ever since.

Conservation and Restoration, Not Renovation

One of the most famous and impressive sites is the Shite-thaung Temple, meaning “80,000 Images,” built in 1535, where five passageways boast 80,000 Buddha images, statues and carvings.

Despite its beauty, ill-planned renovation to the temple several years ago by local authorities provides a warning of what could occur if construction methods are applied that damage the historic structures. At Shite-thaung stupa, the top was rebuilt using concrete, at odds with the rest of the building material. Not only does it look new and out of place, locals say it is not going to age the same way.

Therein lies the dilemma facing Mrauk U. It sorely needs support and funding to maintain its rich cultural heritage, which is deteriorating rapidly. But if it is to retain its heritage, it is crucially important that ancient structures are conserved and restored, not renovated, as overzealous officials did to many ancient temples in Bagan until they were barely distinguishable from new ones.

In 2014, UNESCO officials began discussions with Burma on Bagan’s listing as a World Heritage site, but efforts were complicated by the former junta’s controversial renovations—once called a ‘Disney-style fantasy’ by UN officials—hotel expansion and forced evictions of villages.

At Mrauk U, archeologists and conservation experts, not bureaucrats and construction companies, should be leading conservation and restoration efforts.

“There’s a plethora of challenges facing conservation of ancient buildings. The city of Mrauk U was once Southeast Asia’s greatest fortified cantonment,” Khin Than, chairperson of the Mrauk U Ancient Cultural Heritage Conservation Group, told Myitmakha News Agency recently.

“Tenders were put out for restorations of areas of Mrauk U, but a great deal of highly valued Rakhine [Arakan] cultural handiworks—found in pagodas, walls and brick walls—were destroyed as those carrying out the restorations were not archaeologists.”

Funding is another major challenge. The same news story said the Arakan State government had allocated 600 million kyats (US$491,000) for conservation for 2015-16 fiscal year to cover the sprawling area with hundreds of temples and other structures.

As we left the archeological museum and palace grounds, we chanced upon a group of men building a wire fence around a pond.

Called “Nan Thar Kan,” or a pond for palace residents, they recently unearthed the square pond using those funds. The work revealed a stone tablet, stone carvings of a deity and an ogre in each corner (as protection, apparently) and a cascade of old bricks leading down into it. What looked like an ordinary pond is now transformed into a beautiful, historic site.

A supervisor there said at least 10 more feet of sand still needed to be removed to completely uncover the pond. When will that happen, I asked? “We don’t know because we don’t know if, or when, we will get more funding,” he said.

This story first appeared on Myanmar Now.

http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/at-mrauk-u-living-heritage-and-crumbling-splendor-in-need-of-conservation.html

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Arakanese Demand Decolonization at UN Office in New York

Dhaka: Around 30 Arakanese gathered to stage a protest in front of the UN building in New York, USA, on the anniversary of the fall of Arakanese sovereignty on 31 December, 2010, demanding that their land be decolonized by Burma. 

Ko Hla Htay, who is an organizer of the event, said, "Arakan was a sovereign country until 1784, when the Burmese king invaded. Since then, our people have fallen in one colony after another. Even though Burma regained independence in 1948, our land is still a colony under Burmese rulers. Our people call it a hidden colony. Because of this, we came to in front of the UN building to demand decolonization of our land." Replying to Narinjara's question about why they claim Arakan is a colony, he said, "We have no right to learn our own literature or history, nor any rights to preserve our cultural heritage ourselves. We have neither human rights nor nationality under the current military government, There is no self-determination for our people despite that we have our own land and our own nationality. The facts are enough to tell that the state of Arakan is now a colony in Burma." 

The Burmese central government has deprived Arakanese of all rights in order to monopolize the state since Burma gained independence. Arakanese people have no right to carry out their fate themselves. Many Arakanese strongly believe that independence was not for Arakan, but only for Burman people, because the British transferred administration of the state directly to Burman rulers. 

"We know the UN declared on 14 December 1960 that there were no more colonies around the world, but our people are still under the colonization of Burma. So we demanded the UN to wipe out the colony system in Burma in accordance with its declaration," Ko Hla Htay said. 

The Arakanese staged the protest in front of the UN under the name of the Arakan Freedom Movement committee, which was formed by some Arakanese people living in the USA. 

U Khine Aung Kyaw, who is also an Arakanese patriot that joined the protest, said, "Demanding the UN to decolonize is right and correct because Arakan is now a colony. There have been no rights for Arakanese people since Arakan lost its independence. Today is the 226th anniversary of the fall of Arakanese sovereignty. We have a right to demand decolonization at the UN." 

During the gathering for the protest in front of the UN building, some prominent Arakanese leaders, including Dr. Aye Kyaw, delivered a speech about the current situation of Arakan as well as the history of Arakan. 

After the protest, the Arakanese Freedom Movement committee send an appeal letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the US government, the European Union, and other related offices around the world, demanding decolonization. 

Ko Ba Khin, who is also an organizer of the protest, said, "We described in the letter the present situation of Arakan under the Burmese junta. We want the world leaders to know about our people's condition and how much they are suffering under the current military junta. We are satisfied with our activities because we can send our letter to world leaders during the day of mourning for the loss of our sovereignty. We believe our program was ended successfully." 

This is the first time Arakanese people have staged such a demonstration and demanded decolonization in front of the UN in New York. 

Arakan State was an independent country from nearly 3225 BCE to 1784 CE, when the Burmese king, Bodaw Phaya, invaded and occupied the kingdom. Since then Arakan has been continually ruled by other powers - passing under British rule and Japanese rule for a short period before becoming part of an independent Burma in 1948. 

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Farmers Become Landless for Railroad

Kyauk Taw: Many farmers in Arakan have become landless after their farmlands were confiscated without compensation by authorities for the railroad, said farmers.

A farmer from Kyauk Taw said, "I have six acres of farmlands that are freehold lands. Now I have lost three acres of land for the railroad. I have not received any notice from the government about construction of the railroad over my farmland - I only found out when the construction workers erected several red flags on our farmland for the construction of the track. Many farmers in our area have faced the same problem as me."

At least 3,000 farmlands have been lost by local farmers in Mrauk U and Kyauk Taw Township for the railroad, but they have not been given either other lands nor financial compensation from the government for their lost land.

A 65-year-old farmer from a village in Kyauk Taw said, "I would like to die if possible because one and a half acres out of my total two acres of farmland were lost to the recent railroad construction. I am unable to carry out my family's survival with the remaining half acre of farmland. I have seven members in my family, and most are grandchildren."

The government is now constructing a railroad from Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, to Ann Town and a major military base there, to be connected with Burma proper through the Burmese town of Min Bu.

The authority has confiscated all lands that are situated along the path of the railroad track. The railroad will pass through many townships in Arakan State - Sittwe, Ponna Kyunt, Kyauk Taw, Mrauk U, Min Bya, Mray Bon, and Ann. The farmers from the areas have lost their farmland to the railroad without any compensation.

The military government has propagated through the state-owned media, including TV, radio, and newspapers, that the railroad is intended for the development of Arakan State and to improve communications in the region.

A retired teacher from Tha Yet Ta Pin Village said, "The railroad is built by the government for Arakan State's development, but now the local people of Arakan are suffering with the confiscation of their farmland by local authorities for the railroad. We welcome the railroad construction in the state, but we oppose the land confiscation without any compensation."

The Arakanese farmers have lost many farmlands over the last few years for the highway that runs between Sittwe and Rangoon. Authorities have confiscated many acres of land from local farmers for the highway without compensation. The military has also been confiscating land for the nearly 60 battalions and military bases currently stationed in Arakan State.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2841

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More on the destruction of Mrauk U

Another article on the destruction of archaeological sites of Mrauk U in Western Myanmar. There is also a photo gallery of the destruction of sites in Narinjara, and it is reported that the construction company has been very sensitive to people taking photos and videos of the site.

Laung Bwan Brauk Pagoda - image from Narinjara.com

Mrauk U Pagodas Damaged by Railroad Construction
The Irrawady, 24 November 2010
Destruction of Mrauk U sites
Narinjara.com, 7 November 2010
(gallery may be time sensitive)

The on-going construction of the Sittwe-Amm-Minbu railroad is damaging important cultural heritage sites in Mrauk U, a well-known site of ancient pagodas and buildings in Arakan State, according to concerned local residents.
“Although we have called for an end to this project, they haven’t complied,” a Mrauk U resident told The Irrawaddy. He said damage to some pagodas has been covered over with earth. The railroad construction started on Nov. 7.
The construction project has resulted in damage or destruction of ancient pagodas, stupas, walls, strongholds, religious libraries, moats, and city walls, said local sources.

http://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/2010/11/30/destruction-mrauk/

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Railway project destroys archaeological sites at Mrauk U

Archaeological sites and buildings at the Arakanese city of Mrauk U are being destroyed to make way for a railway line that cuts through the city’s main archaeological zone. So far, there has been little response by the central government to appeals by local politicians and monks. [Thanks to Dr Pamela Gutman for the news]

Andaw Thein in Mrauk U. CC image.

Archaeological Sites Bulldozed for Railroad Construction in Arakan
Narinjara.com, 18 November 2010
Anger at ‘destructive’ railway project
Democratic Voice of Burma, 18 November 2010

Many cultural heritage sites have been destroyed as military authorities have bulldozed a path for constructing a railroad through a major archaeological zone in Mrauk U, an ancient city in western Burma’s Arakan State.
A local archaeologist told Narinjara that the construction of the railroad through the city started on 7 November, and many ancient structures built by 14th century Arakanese cultures have already been damaged.
“Many priceless archaeological structures such as pagodas, sculptures, city walls, fortresses, garrisons, and moats have already been bulldozed for the railroad that is being designed to cross the main archaeological zone in the north and northeastern part of the city, and many more structures are still facing demolition,” said the archaeologist.
The structures that have already been destroyed include pagodas and sculptures on Thazintan Hills, Praysoe Gree Pagoda, Mungalar Wall, Khrunkite Wall, Ahmrunt Taung Fortress, Khrunkite Fortress, Rae Hla Fortress, Rae Hla Gate, Rae Hla Moat, and Kyein Rwa Moat, the source said.

http://assets1.spectives.com/posts/5716517

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Railway re-routed around heritage site

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Two incumbent ministers and national legislators-elect ordered the railways ministry last Thursday to choose a new path for the line it is building near the ancient city of Mrauk-U, after residents complained that walls and pagodas had sustained damage after a section of track had been laid.

A visitor to Mrauk-U, the ancient city in northern Arakan State that was home to the Mrauk-U Kingdom (1433 to 1784), enters Sakya Manaung Pagoda in September, 2010. Three pagodas and 10 walls at the national heritage site were damaged during construction of the Kyauktaw-Mrauk-U section of the Sittwe-Ann-Minbu railway. which finished on national election day, residents said. Photo: Mizzima

The order also came three days after Transport Minister Thein Swe and Industry Minister 1 Aung Thaung, of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, had met lawmakers-elect of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, which won more state seats than the USDP in national polls on November 7. 

The politicians visited Mrauk-U to redraw the route and Burma’s Archaeology Department under the Ministry of Culture informed the Rail Transport Ministry to follow the new route, which passes through the ancient city’s north.

“The new route will cross the Rangoon-Sittwe Road but it’s a long way from the ancient pagodas and buildings, so the new route is acceptable,” an archaeologist in Mrauk-U said on condition of anonymity.

On November 15, local residents filed a complaint at the office of the Burmese Army Western Command chief Brigadier General Soe Thein, seeking a redesign of the Sittwe-Ann-Minbu railway project after 10 sections of wall, including those named Thazintan, Mungalar Manaung, Khrunkite, Kathel Ai Moat, and three pagodas, were found to have been damaged during the construction of the Kyauktaw-Mrauk-U section, which finished on national election day, residents said.

An ancient stone wall similar to the 10 damaged in Mrauk-U, the ancient city in northern Arakan State that was home to the Mrauk-U Kingdom (1433 to 1784), the most important and powerful Arakanese realm, in September, 2010. The damage was caused during construction of the Kyauktaw-Mrauk-U section of the Sittwe-Ann-Minbu railway. Photo: Mizzima

“After the residents filed the complaint, the Ministry of Culture immediately informed the Ministry of Rail Transport … [which] then … had to postpone the project. The damage was repaired and the route was redrawn,” the archaeologist said.

The Archaeology Department issued a ban last Thursday on railway workers digging in exclusion zones around the city or damaging the ancient forts. It also warned that cultural heritage thieves would be punished, he said.

The Sittwe-Yechanbyin section and Kungaung-Yoetayoke section of the Sittwe-Ann-Minbu railway has been commissioned into service since May last year and 75 per cents of Kyauktaw-Mrauk-U section was complete, a Sittwe rail official said.

Observers and party members have speculated as to the motivation behind Aung Thaung and Thein Swe seeking the meeting with three lawmakers from the RNDP on November 22 in Sittwe, capital of Arakan (Rakhine) State. In the elections, the RNDP secured the largest number of seats, 18, in the 46- to 47-seat Arakan Assembly.


http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/4625-railway-rerouted-after-harm-to-arakanese-heritage-site.html

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Complainants Against Railroad Examined by Authority

Mrauk U: Two individuals were interrogated by the Burmese military authority after they complained about the destruction of several cultural heritage sites in Mrauk U to clear space for railroad construction.

U Kyaw Tun Aung, a former chief of the archaeology department in Mrauk U and an abbot of Aung Mingalar Monastery were interrogated about their complaints on 23 November by Sittwe District Chairman Major Moe Zaw Soe, at the Aung Mingalar Monastery in Mrauk U.

An educated youth from Mrauk U said, "After many cultural heritage sites were destroyed by bulldozers for railroad construction, townspeople, led by several abbots and including the archaeology department, submitted an appeal to high authorities. Because of this complaint, the authority interrogated two leaders about the protest."

Moreover, the Sittwe District chairman has warned U Kyaw Tun Aung not to complain in the future using this approach, as U Kyaw Tun Aung is a former government officer.

A high power team from Naypyidaw led by U Kyaw Oo Lwin, director of the archaeology department, came to Mruak U on the 20th to inspect the railroad track after the protest and complaints.

"The high power team decided to divert the next railroad track from the construction, but party of the railroad already constructed will not be changed, even though there are many historic cultural sites there," the youth said.

Many cultural heritage sites have been destroyed to make way for construction of a railroad through a major archaeological zone in Mrauk U, an ancient city in western Burma's Arakan State.

A local archaeologist told Narinjara that the construction of the railroad through the city started on 7 November, and many ancient structures built by 15th century Arakanese cultures have already been damaged.

The structures that have already been destroyed include pagodas and sculptures on Thazintan Hills, Praysoe Gree Pagoda, Mungalar Wall, Khrunkite Wall, Ahmrunt Tuang Fortress, Khrunkite Fortress, Rae Hla Fortress, Ra Hla Gate, Rae Hla Moat, and Kyein Rwa Moat, the source said.

Koethaung Temple, one of the largest and most famous structures in the northeast of the city, is also facing demolition as the railroad will cross near the temple, according to city residents.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2808

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Archaeological Sites Bulldozed for Railroad Construction in Arakan

By Maung Aye
-------------------

Ancient city in western Burma's Arakan State

Mrauk U: Many cultural heritage sites have been destroyed as military authorities have bulldozed a path for constructing a railroad through a major archaeological zone in Mrauk U, an ancient city in western Burma's Arakan State.

A local archaeologist told Narinjara that the construction of the railroad through the city started on 7 November, and many ancient structures built by 14th century Arakanese cultures have already been damaged.

"Many priceless archaeological structures such as pagodas, sculptures, city walls, fortresses, garrisons, and moats have already been bulldozed for the railroad that is being designed to cross the main archaeological zone in the north and northeastern part of the city, and many more structures are still facing demolition," said the archaeologist.

The structures that have already been destroyed include pagodas and sculptures on Thazintan Hills, Praysoe Gree Pagoda, Mungalar Wall, Khrunkite Wall, Ahmrunt Taung Fortress, Khrunkite Fortress, Rae Hla Fortress, Rae Hla Gate, Rae Hla Moat, and Kyein Rwa Moat, the source said.

Koethaung Temple, one of the largest and most famous structures in the northeast of the city, is also facing demolition as the railroad will cross near the temple, according to city residents.

Local residents, including historians, archaeologists, and Buddhist monks have appealed to the local authorities to halt the destruction and redesign the railroad. They provided the city with plans, maps, and suggestions to help save their cultural heritage that has been seen as their national pride through the ages.

Despite the appeal, the bulldozing of the archaeological sites is still continuing on the orders of higher authorities in Naypyidaw, after a brief halt of the construction by local authorities, said the archaeologist.

"We have requested the local authorities to halt the construction as it is threatening many archaeological structures, and provided the city plans, maps, and suggestions that would limit the demolition of any cultural heritage sites. If the railroad were to cross the western and southwestern side of the city, even though it would cost more, the priceless heritage sites will be saved and residents will benefit from the railroad as well. But they are still continuing to construct the railroad by bulldozing through the main archaeological sites on orders from the higher authorities in Naypyidaw," he said.

Military authorities have been building the 257-mile long railroad starting from the capital of Sittwe and ending in Ann, crossing a number of main towns, including Mrauk U, along the way. Ann is a military town in southwestern-most Arakan State, and the railroad is intended to link Arakan with Minbu in Magway Division for what is called "harmonious progress" across the states and divisions all over Burma.

Mrauk U was built by Arakanese king Min Saw Mon in 1430 and it remained the center of the Arakanese kingdoms until 1784, when the Burman king invaded. 

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2805

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Anger at ‘destructive’ railway project

By AHUNT PHONE MYAT
Published: 18 November 2010

Andaw Thein pagodas in Mrauk U, where locals complain that a railroad project could damage historic structures (Jean-Marie Hullot)

Residents have reacted with anger to a railroad development that will cut through the historically important town of Mrauk U in Arakan state, which at its zenith was a major international trading hub.

Local politicians and archaeologists have made a formal request to the town’s Archaeological Department director, Kyaw Htun Aung, to relocate the project, but no response has so far been given.
“Constructing railways is beneficial for the region and its inhabitants, but they should be constructed in a way that is not harmful to religious buildings in ancient archaeological zones,” said Dr Aye Maung from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP).
At its height in the mid-sixteenth century, it was the capital of the Arakanese Kingdom and controlled half of modern-day Bangladesh, as well as the western portion of Lower Burma. It traded with countries as far-flung as Portugal and Holland, and many of the temples built shortly after its establishment in 1430 still remain.
Monks in Mrauk U are reportedly planning to hold a meeting soon to discuss ways to protest the railroad development, which residents say has the potential to destroy a number of ancient temples and pagodas.
“The [government departments] who build railroads know little of the value of archaeological buildings, as their work is focused on completing it [the project] as soon as possible,” said local archaeologist, Tanpawaddy Win Maung.
He added that residents would continue to protest, given that “there have been similar situations in the past where ancient buildings were spared after negotiations”.
The project will connect several towns in western Burma’s Arakan state, as well as being part of a wider plan to link Arakan capital Sittwe with towns in Magwe division to the east.
Despite being a flight away from Burma’s first city of Rangoon, Mrauk U remains a major tourist attraction, and Dr Aye Maung said that any spoiling of archaeological sites could damage the industry.

Original Link 

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