Monks force Myanmar govt to stop work on five projects

Yangon

MYANMAR'S government announced it would halt five controversial property developments near the Shwedagon pagoda, the country's most famous Buddhist site. Myanmar's influential monks have led calls to stop the projects, which they say risk damaging and desecrating the golden pagoda.

"There were growing concerns among the people, monks, scholars and experts about the dangers of these projects to the Shwedagon Pagoda," government official Zaw Than Thin said in a statement read out on national television on Tuesday night. "The Myanmar Investment Commission and the ministry of defence also suggested that these projects should be stopped. When the investors were consulted about these concerns, they also willingly agreed to stop these projects."