Ma Thanegi News Today

>> chances are, you havent been to this place. chances are, this is a place youve never seen. other than maybe blurry cellphone videos, old black-and-white newsreels from world war ii. chances are, bad things were happening in the footage you saw. myanmar. after 50 years of nightmare, something unexpected is happening here, and its pretty incredible. ♪ ♪ in yangon, capital city of myanmar, its dark. blackouts are frequent with the ancient power grid. what sources of light there are...

In 2007, a japanese journalist was shot point-blank and killed filming a street demonstration. be seen talking to anybody with a camera, and there would likely be a knock on your door in the middle of the night. yet so far confronted with our cameras, a few smiles, and mostly indifference at worst. shocking, considering how recently the government has started to relax its grip. >> we love to eat. and dont forget, for 50 years, we were under two dictatorships, and officially under socialist, ther...

Whew. >> anthony: a millennia ago, in a period of just under 250 years, over 4,000 structures like this were built here. they say that a king began this project after a conversion to theravada-style buddhism. they started a new temple, like, every 14 days. over 3,000 pagodas, temples, and monasteries remain today. inside almost every one of them, a buddha figure, each one different. >> philippe: and i like how integrated it is with those trees, ox trails, and -- >> anthony: actually, funny you s...

Inside almost every one of them, a buddha figure, each one different. >> philippe: and i like how integrated it is with those trees, ox trails, and -- >> anthony: actually, funny you should mention that. people used to live here, but the government came along in the 80s, i believe, and relocated. it was a mass relocation project. >> philippe: right. >> anthony: so any homes, anything, it was understood that this is a good -- you know, theres some tourist bucks here. they relocated the entire pop...

Dictatorship, there were not a lot of things to do. get shampoo and eat. >> this is ma thanegi, a famous and very controversial figure in public life. >> myanmar or burma? >> myanmar, because thats the original name since the 13th century. >> ma thanegi, like u thiha saw, has also spent time in prison. emerging after three years, they became to the minds of many an apologist to the regime. fairly or not -- to others. >> you know, its only after the military went away, you know, that things happe...

Its grip. >> we love to eat. dont forget for 15 years, under dictatorship, there were not a lot of things to do. get shampoo and eat. >> this is ma thanegi, a famous and very controversial figure in public life. >> myanmar or burma? >> myanmar, because thats the original name since the 13th century. >> ma thanegi, like u thiha saw, has also spent time in prison. emerging after three years, they became to the minds of many an apologist to the regime. fairly or not -- to others. >> you know, its o...

>> this is ma thanegi, a famous and very controversial figure in public life. >> myanmar or burma? >> myanmar, because thats the original name since the 13th century. >> ma thanegi, like u thiha saw, has also spent time in prison. emerging after three years, they became to the minds of many an apologist to the regime. fairly or not -- to others. sometimes outsiders act as if its only after the military went away, you know, that things happen, especially with the state like snow white, death. >> ...

Lot of things to do. >> this is ma thanegi, a famous and very controversial figure in public life. >> myanmar or burma? >> myanmar, because thats the original name since the 13th century. >> ma thanegi, like u thiha saw, has also spent time in prison. emerging after three years, they became to the minds of many an apologist to the regime. fairly or not -- to others. >> sometimes outsiders act as if its only after the military went away, you know, that things happen, especially with the frozen st...

Monasteries remain today. inside almost every one of them, a buddha figure, each one of them, different. >> and i like how integrated it is with the frieze, postures. >> funny you mention that. people used to live here and the government came along in the 80s and relocated them. it was a mass relocation project. so any homes, it was understood, this is tourist bucks here. they relocated the entire population. were in one of the first mass waves of tourists. european tourists have been coming her...

Buddhism. he started a new temple every 14 days. over 3,000 pagodas, temples, and monasteries remain today. inside almost every one of them, a buddha figure, each one of them, different. >> and i like how integrated it is with the frieze, postures. >> funny you mention that. people used to live here and the government came along in the 80s and relocated them. it was a mass relocation project. this is tourist bucks here. they relocated the entire population. were in one of the first mass waves of...