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Locals forced to donate
Tachilek Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) is forcing people to donate money to the city's Shwedagon pagoda replica on the Thai-Burma border, said a local source.
By:
Lieng Lern
On 20 January 2008, the Venerable Hseng La, the abbot who resides at Hsanhsai
Leu monastery, made a request to TPDC official U Min Thein, to collect
donations to buy gold leaves to gild the Shwedagon pagoda. U Min Thein then
ordered village heads to collect Baht 45,000 (US $ 1,363) per village.
Shwedagon Pagoda, Tachilek
People
are encouraged to donate large sum of money. "Because if we donate
less than Baht 150 ($4), authorities would not issue certificates for us",
a villager said.
The TPDC official U Min Thein had ordered to fill the donation quota within 3
months, the source said.
The authorities collect donations from surrounding markets, clothes shops,
restaurants, tea shops and mini-marts. Also, 4-5 officials per day take turns
to wait at the Shwedagon pagoda for donations from tourists.
"They initially promised to cover the pagoda with gold leaves but there
are rumors they will actually cover it with copper leaves instead," he
added.
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