via Frontier Myanmar, 01 September 2023: Myanmar’s cultural heritage sites, including the Pyu Ancient Cities and Bagan’s temples, are at risk due to conflict, looting, and unchecked development, leading conservationists to call on UNESCO for intervention.
Nonetheless, a former general secretary of the Myanmar Archaeology Association, Ko Thu Ya Aung, said the military’s occupation of heritage sites is a violation of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The treaty, signed by Myanmar, also applies to internal conflicts, so UNESCO has no reason to remain silent, he said.
“UNESCO needs to speak out now, as it has in Ukraine. UNESCO must give a strong response to the Hanlin situation. The Pyu ancient cities should be designated as World Heritage in Danger,” he said.
But Daw Aye*, an expert in archaeology who has worked on international conservation programmes in Myanmar, told Frontier that UNESCO typically doesn’t speak out forcefully during internal conflicts such as Myanmar’s.
“These sites are our heritage, and only we can protect them. Who else will safeguard our cultural heritage if we don’t?” she asked.
Source: Heritage held hostage: Conflict and cronyism threaten World Heritage Sites | Frontier Myanmar
