Bagan (Burma) (AFP)

Relics, coins, jewelry: looters have taken over the archaeological city of Bagan in Burma and its 3,000 pagodas deserted by tourists since the pandemic, a challenge for the police given the vastness of the site.

The complex, nestled in the meanders of the Irrawady river and classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site last year, "has never been so targeted" for decades, deplores to AFP Myint Than, deputy director of the archaeological department from Bagan.

At the beginning of June, a dozen pagodas were looted, according to the authorities, which did not specify the content or the amount of the loot, referring to "relics and coins".

To deter thieves, dozens of police and firefighters now patrol day and night.

At nightfall, helmet on the head and weapon in hand, some position themselves in front of the entrance to the temples. Others leave by motorbike or jeep to get lost in the alleys of the capital of the first Burmese empire (11th-13th century), weakened by several earthquakes.

The situation is "under control for the moment," said police lieutenant-colonel Sein Win, congratulating himself that none of the most prestigious pagodas, like that of Shwezigon with its golden chedi or that of Ananda - the best preserved, has been vandalized.

"Our mission is a challenge" given the vastness of the complex which covers 50 square kilometers and includes more than 3,500 monuments, stupas (tumulus), temples, monasteries ...

Surfing on its classification by Unesco, Bagan welcomed almost half a million visitors in 2019.

But Burma, which in recent years has attracted more and more tourists after decades of military dictatorship, has closed its airports since March to try to stem the coronavirus pandemic and the complex is deserted.

- curse -

The looters of treasures have not been arrested to date.

"They are certainly not people from Bagan", assures Myint Than, who refuses to believe that they could "betray their heritage".

But times are tough for residents in a region heavily dependent on tourism.

Most of the hotels and restaurants remain closed, the tuk-tuk drivers wait in vain for the customers and the merchants look gray.

Wyne Yee maintains a small clothing store near the temples.

In April alone, the Burmese New Year period, she "usually earns enough to feed (her) family for six months", but this year, she already "has no more money".

And the situation is not expected to improve in the immediate future because the borders will remain closed at least until the end of July.

Burma has recorded only 313 cases of covid-19 and six deaths, but very few people are tested and the country, with its fragile health system, does not want to take risks.

Meanwhile, Wyne Yee condemns the pagoda looters, convinced that a curse will befall them. "The temples will not tolerate it (...) Thieves will be punished".

© 2020 AFP