Myanmar's generals unveil giant Buddha statue as they seek to win hearts and minds during civil war

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The military government’s head, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the project’s patron, supervised installation of various parts of the project, even as a civil war has raged, killing thousands, uprooting millions and causing vast destruction, including to Buddhist monasteries, Christian churches and Islamic mosques. Min Aung Hlaing has been repeatedly quoted in state media as saying it will be tallest sitting marble Buddha statue in the world, a claim that is difficult to verify. He also said the building of the Buddha image aimed “to show the flourishing of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar, to be Myanmar as a focal point of Theravada Buddhism, ensure prosperity of the country and contribute to peace and stability of the world.” The generals who seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Ky i are engaged in battles covering much of the country, with the army’s vast advantage in manpower and weapons unable to subdue the pro-democracy resistance forces. Reporting on the project’s progress last month to officials and big business backers, Min Aung Hlaing revealed that the plan to build the statue originated when Than Shwe handed over to the military in 2017 a giant piece of raw marble rock that was given him by a mining company.