EBO Burma News, 9 May 2003
News Summary:
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1.
UN body fears for
2. EU: The Acceding Countries support the common position on
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UN body fears for Myanmar's plans
for ancient Pagan
over military-ruled
in the ancient city of
The first public mention of the proposed
construction of the
came last month in the state-run New Light of
Myanmar, which said junta leader
Senior General Than
Shwe had inspected the site.
He was told "that the 198-feet high
Golf Course in Bagan
ancient cultural region," the report said, adding the
project would take a year to complete.
Richard Engelhardt,
UNESCO's Bangkok-based advisor for culture in
the Pacific, told AFP he had only just heard
of the report and expressed worry
over the plans.
"We are definitely concerned about
any plans to develop any kinds of new
infrastrucure within a protected area, or impacting on
the protected area's
buffer zone," he said. "For example, a
big tower, even if not inside the site,
would impact on the site visually."
Pagan, hosting thousands of 11th century stupas and temples spread over 40
square kilometres in central
heritage site and is a mainstay of a fledgling
tourism industry.
It has not formally been inscribed as a
World Heritage site. According to
Engelhardt, UNESCO is awaiting information from
labelled.
"What we're awaiting is not
particularly controversial but we are waiting
to receive these from the
nomination process will be picked up again and will
continue on," he said.
The process, he said, had already been
ongoing for "a couple of years".
There is no statutory obligation for
project.
"But one would imagine there should
be some good faith, some information
sharing, and that UNESCO's advice should be
solicited in anticipation of the
inscription of the site on the World Heritage
list," he said.
"Normally the construction of a large
new structure inside an archaeological
site is something that we would not
endorse."
From the photographs of the plans
accompanying the report, Engelhardt said
"this tower
would certainly be out of scale with the rest of the site, and it
would therefore detract visually from the
importance of the historical
monuments."
A Western diplomat described the plans to
erect the tourist tower as "crazy."
"The beauty of Pagan will be
disfigured," said the diplomat who asked not
to be identified. "It is a crime. It is
reminiscent of what happened to the
Buddhas in Bamiyan (in
regime) and the looting in
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EU: The Acceding Countries support the common position on
9145/03 (Presse
128)
P 53/03
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf
of the European Union on regarding
a declaration by the Acceding Countries
and the associated countries
countries, members of the European Economic Area, concerning
the EU Common Position on Burma/Myanmar
The Acceding Countries
countries
Economic Area, declare that they share
the objectives of Common Position
2003/297/CFSP concerning Burma/Myanmar
defined by the Council of the
European Union on
on European Union. They will ensure that their national policies
conform to
that common position.
The European Union takes note of this
commitment and welcomes it.
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