http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zspUy_QHKd4
A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas - Op-Docs
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TheNewYorkTimes
Published on Apr 25, 2013
In Afghanistan, a Chinese mining company threatens to destroy the remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to excavate.
Related article: http://nyti.ms/Y4Jv7U
Please visit http://nyti.ms/10dCYC0 in order to embed this video
OP-DOCS
‘A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas’
China’s Threat to Afghan Buddhas: In Afghanistan, a Chinese mining company threatens to destroy the remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to excavate.
By BRENT E. HUFFMAN
Published: April 23, 2013
April 23, 2013
‘A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas’
By BRENT E. HUFFMAN
When I first traveled to Afghanistan in 2004, I immediately fell in love with the country and its people, and I was optimistic that the young people in Kabul would soon have better lives. Yet my hopes dimmed as I learned about a revolving door of exploitation at the hands of the Russians, Americans and now the Chinese — who have begun mining Afghanistan’s plentiful natural resources and threatening priceless national heritage sites.
In 2007, the Chinese state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (M.C.C.) won the rights to mine copper at a site called Mes Aynak. Situated in volatile Logar Province, Mes Aynak is home to one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits — worth more than $100 billion. Yet, as this Op-Doc video shows, the site also houses the astonishing remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to save. An international team has only until June to finish the excavations, which began in 2009. So far they have uncovered golden Buddhist statues, dozens of buildings and fragile Buddhist manuscripts buried within temples. Yet perhaps 90 percent of the site remains underground and unseen. To finish the job could take decades. In all likelihood, the destruction of the Buddhist sites will begin later this year. The Afghan government is letting this happen — it’s a tragedy that echoes the notorious destruction of the Buddhas at Bamiyan in 2001.
Yet, even after four trips to Afghanistan to report this story, it’s difficult for me to know for sure what will become of Mes Aynak. Recent repeated attempts to contact the M.C.C. to confirm the mining timeline for this story have gone unanswered. There is widespread corruption and virtually no government transparency in Afghanistan, and the M.C.C. contract has never been made public.
I have heard arguments in favor of the mining. The copper deal is the largest foreign investment and private business venture in Afghanistan’s history. There is hope among some Afghans that this Chinese deal will bring real and positive change to Afghanistan — jobs, infrastructure and money to help fuel economic growth. Some of the Buddhist artifacts are being rescued, and it’s possible that not all of the ancient sites will be destroyed by the mining.
But I worry that nothing positive will come from this mining project. I fear the mineral resource is being undervalued, that money will be lost to corruption in the Afghan ministries and that jobs at the mine will go to Chinese immigrants. Geologists tell me that, as a result of the open-pit style of mining, the site will most likely become so toxic that nothing can ever live there again. Money can come and go, but these precious historical artifacts will be gone forever.
Brent E. Huffman is a documentary filmmaker and assistant professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is expanding the material in this Op-Doc into a feature-length documentary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/opinion/a-chinese-threat-to-afghan-buddhas.html
Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas
Posted April 27, 2013 by Andrew Mersmann in Environment. Tagged: Afghan Buddhas, Chinese Mining, CHinese threat, New York Times.
This is tragic (video presented by New York Times). You would think we would learn by now, but I guess we are still infants when it comes to common sense…
http://changebydoing.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/chinese-threat-to-afghan-buddhas/
Top Comments
ryan flippin 3 weeks ago
Have the Chinese never heard of directional mining? Seems very silly to blow up an ancient structure more than 2000 years old.
Reply · 14
AlexanderMccarthey87 3 weeks ago
Nobody demolishes things like the chinese do.
Reply · 11
wilson lawson 6 days ago
The meek shall inherit the earth.....if that's OK with everyone else.
Everyone should ask themselves why that old Buddhist living space was vacated in the first place. It wasn't because they Chinese were looking for oil. It was because the marauding muslims invaded from the West and the south and slaughtered anyone they didn't like. And let's face it the muslims don't like much.
Reply · in playlist Featured Playlist 2013
Fearbasdlfrm 1 week ago
Feels like a dagger throught the heart.
Reply ·
Brent Huffman 2 weeks ago
For more information, please check out "The Buddhas of Aynak" on Facebook.
Reply · 2
aryany sabillon 2 weeks ago
Uu I ml l on b Czech m m NJ ji h y txt uno illl00 o 00 uh u jk k jk nómina
Reply ·
John Lee 2 weeks ago
99% of the Afghanistan's population are Islam, not Buddhist; maybe that has something to do with why the government don't care?
Reply ·
cuphrody Alphro 2 weeks ago
that is individual action they cant represent all Chinese people!
Reply ·
Shearattan 2 weeks ago
"The money that the Chinese have given our government will eventually vanish...and our history and our heritage will vanish with all this money." 3 billion dollars to a corrupt government is lint, especially compared to the 100 bill in profit the Chinese will make. But history is worth more than a billion, especially for the Afghans, who have seen every element of their country plundered in the last century.
Reply · 6
A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas - Op-Docs
TheNewYorkTimesPublished on Apr 25, 2013
In Afghanistan, a Chinese mining company threatens to destroy the remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to excavate.
Related article: http://nyti.ms/Y4Jv7U
Please visit http://nyti.ms/10dCYC0 in order to embed this video
OP-DOCS
‘A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas’
China’s Threat to Afghan Buddhas: In Afghanistan, a Chinese mining company threatens to destroy the remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to excavate.
By BRENT E. HUFFMAN
Published: April 23, 2013
April 23, 2013
‘A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas’
By BRENT E. HUFFMAN
When I first traveled to Afghanistan in 2004, I immediately fell in love with the country and its people, and I was optimistic that the young people in Kabul would soon have better lives. Yet my hopes dimmed as I learned about a revolving door of exploitation at the hands of the Russians, Americans and now the Chinese — who have begun mining Afghanistan’s plentiful natural resources and threatening priceless national heritage sites.
In 2007, the Chinese state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (M.C.C.) won the rights to mine copper at a site called Mes Aynak. Situated in volatile Logar Province, Mes Aynak is home to one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits — worth more than $100 billion. Yet, as this Op-Doc video shows, the site also houses the astonishing remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to save. An international team has only until June to finish the excavations, which began in 2009. So far they have uncovered golden Buddhist statues, dozens of buildings and fragile Buddhist manuscripts buried within temples. Yet perhaps 90 percent of the site remains underground and unseen. To finish the job could take decades. In all likelihood, the destruction of the Buddhist sites will begin later this year. The Afghan government is letting this happen — it’s a tragedy that echoes the notorious destruction of the Buddhas at Bamiyan in 2001.
Yet, even after four trips to Afghanistan to report this story, it’s difficult for me to know for sure what will become of Mes Aynak. Recent repeated attempts to contact the M.C.C. to confirm the mining timeline for this story have gone unanswered. There is widespread corruption and virtually no government transparency in Afghanistan, and the M.C.C. contract has never been made public.
I have heard arguments in favor of the mining. The copper deal is the largest foreign investment and private business venture in Afghanistan’s history. There is hope among some Afghans that this Chinese deal will bring real and positive change to Afghanistan — jobs, infrastructure and money to help fuel economic growth. Some of the Buddhist artifacts are being rescued, and it’s possible that not all of the ancient sites will be destroyed by the mining.
But I worry that nothing positive will come from this mining project. I fear the mineral resource is being undervalued, that money will be lost to corruption in the Afghan ministries and that jobs at the mine will go to Chinese immigrants. Geologists tell me that, as a result of the open-pit style of mining, the site will most likely become so toxic that nothing can ever live there again. Money can come and go, but these precious historical artifacts will be gone forever.
Brent E. Huffman is a documentary filmmaker and assistant professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is expanding the material in this Op-Doc into a feature-length documentary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/opinion/a-chinese-threat-to-afghan-buddhas.html
Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas
Posted April 27, 2013 by Andrew Mersmann in Environment. Tagged: Afghan Buddhas, Chinese Mining, CHinese threat, New York Times.
This is tragic (video presented by New York Times). You would think we would learn by now, but I guess we are still infants when it comes to common sense…
http://changebydoing.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/chinese-threat-to-afghan-buddhas/
Top Comments
ryan flippin 3 weeks ago
Have the Chinese never heard of directional mining? Seems very silly to blow up an ancient structure more than 2000 years old.
Reply · 14
AlexanderMccarthey87 3 weeks ago
Nobody demolishes things like the chinese do.
Reply · 11
wilson lawson 6 days ago
The meek shall inherit the earth.....if that's OK with everyone else.
Everyone should ask themselves why that old Buddhist living space was vacated in the first place. It wasn't because they Chinese were looking for oil. It was because the marauding muslims invaded from the West and the south and slaughtered anyone they didn't like. And let's face it the muslims don't like much.
Reply · in playlist Featured Playlist 2013
Fearbasdlfrm 1 week ago
Feels like a dagger throught the heart.
Reply ·
Brent Huffman 2 weeks ago
For more information, please check out "The Buddhas of Aynak" on Facebook.
Reply · 2
aryany sabillon 2 weeks ago
Uu I ml l on b Czech m m NJ ji h y txt uno illl00 o 00 uh u jk k jk nómina
Reply ·
John Lee 2 weeks ago
99% of the Afghanistan's population are Islam, not Buddhist; maybe that has something to do with why the government don't care?
Reply ·
cuphrody Alphro 2 weeks ago
that is individual action they cant represent all Chinese people!
Reply ·
Shearattan 2 weeks ago
"The money that the Chinese have given our government will eventually vanish...and our history and our heritage will vanish with all this money." 3 billion dollars to a corrupt government is lint, especially compared to the 100 bill in profit the Chinese will make. But history is worth more than a billion, especially for the Afghans, who have seen every element of their country plundered in the last century.
Reply · 6