The Buddha Statue Buried in Perak Is Not an Ancient Relic
A film set builder for the 1995 movie Beyond Rangoon revealed that he was involved in the construction of the sleeping Buddha statue, which was made of wire mesh and concrete.
Currently, the 30-foot-long sleeping Buddha statue lies buried underground in a village located in Kampung Senawar, Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Usually, film companies request that sets be demolished after filming is completed to prevent other parties from using the sets they paid for. However, the sleeping Buddha statue was built to be so sturdy that it was difficult to destroy.
Therefore, burying it was the easiest way to dispose of it. Imagine if, one day in the future, archaeologists were to discover it and mistake it for an ancient relic?
Beyond Rangoon is a 1995 film directed by John Boorman. Filming had to be conducted in Perak and Penang due to political reasons. The film tells the story of Laura Bowman, an American tourist who travels to Burma (now known as Myanmar) in 1988, the year the 8888 Uprising took place. The 8888 Uprising was the largest uprising ever held in Myanmar. It broke out in the city of Yangon, initiated by university students and later joined by ordinary citizens, Buddhist monks, government staff, the Myanmar Navy, the Air Force, customs officers, teachers, and hospital staff. The Myanmar government led by General Ne Win was overthrown by the military. The military implemented a junta-style rule under commander-in-chief General Saw Maung. To disperse the demonstrations, the military killed thousands of civilians, including students and Buddhist monks. Before the 8888 Uprising, Myanmar had been a closed country under General Ne Win since 1972. In November 1985, students boycotted the government's decision regarding Myanmar currency notes of 75, 35, and 25 kyat. According to research by the Rangoon Institute of Technology (now Yangon Technological University), the military killed a student activist named Phone Maw in front of the university's main building. This killing triggered even larger protests starting on 8.8.88. Ne Win ordered the military to shoot at anyone demonstrating. The Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) shot at students marching on the Red Bridge. The bridge was covered in the blood of the students. Today, many Myanmar citizens remember the tragedy. They carry banners reading '8888 Blood, Free Myanmar'.
