Memorable Trip to Burma (I)

Sdr. Fong Kui Lun, Sdr. Lim Kit Siang, Sdr. Tan Kok Wai and I

On 3 July 2012, I went to Myanmar (Burma) together with my party leaders Sdr. Lim Kit Siang, Sdr. Tan Kok Wai and Sdr. Fong Kui Lun on the invitation of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC).  MPs from Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines were also present.

AIPMC lobbied ASEAN leaders to exert pressure on the military junta to democratise the country in the past years.

The purpose of our visit is to update the political situation of Burma and to decide the role of AIPMC that was set up by us since 2004.

This is my second time there. My first trip was in 1997 when I started to work on the issue with an organisation known as PD Burma. When I stepped out of the plane, I was very surprised to see Yangon (Rangoon) airport has become so modern and gorgeous. When I first went to Burma, the airport was so simple and it was being managed by uniformed soldiers with machine guns.

When we traveled along the road to the city, I was also surprised to see that the city has become so busy that we were stuck in traffic jam on the way to the hotel.

Visit to Swedagon Pagoda at Yangon (Rangoon)

On the first day, after lunch, we went to see Swedagon Pagoda. This landmark has been enlarged so much since 1997. Many of these pagodas are painted in gold colour, and they put gold foils on the ceiling and top part of the walls.

The bell in the middle is the old-ancient bill and it is so very heavy

We were told that many Burmese have been giving away their jewellery, from diamond to bangles to rings to the Pagoda. The Pagoda committee then put all these on top of the Pagoda. We have to use horoscope to see these jewellery on the sharp roof top of the Pagoda.

They are like the Cambodians, no matter how poor they are, they will donate generously to their gods and the temples. In Shwedagon Pagoda, we see so many  different “buddhas”. These buddhas are very different from the buddhas in the temples at Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The Swedagon Pagoda is covered by gold foils.

 

To our surprise and amazement, the wall and pillars in one of the shrines were made of jade stones.

See! thousand pieces of jade and crystal are pasted on the pillars and walls of the Shrine

 

A group of devotees were performing their prayers at Swedagon Pagoda

 

This is the mold of Buddha’s feet with two snakes on top of it

 

These are the view outside the buildings of Swedagon Pagoda at Yangon (Rangoon)