As the conflict between the military and various armed groups continues to roil Buddhist-majority Myanmar, a video of pro-democracy fighters has been shared, alongside a false claim that they have arrived at a sacred place of worship called the Golden Rock Pagoda. But visual clues show that the pagoda is just a replica found in the country’s central Magway region and not the original in eastern Mon state.
“Arriving at the mountain of Golden Rock Pagoda,” reads the Burmese caption of a Facebook post shared on November 12.
The post includes a video of soldiers wearing insignia bearing the logo of the “People’s Defense Forces”, units made up of former students, farmers and workers who left their lives behind to take up arms and resist the coup of the junta (archived links here and here).
The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, or Golden Rock Pagoda, is one of Myanmar’s most famous Buddhist monuments.
Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the pagoda at the top of Mount Kyaiktiyo, culminating during Buddhist Lent to Vesak Day from October to May the following year (archived link).
The video has been viewed more than 1.4 million times and shared more than 4,000 times.
Screenshot of fake Facebook post taken on November 14, 2024
The video was shared along with similar claims on Facebook, YouTube and X.
Myanmar has been plagued by conflict between the military and several anti-regime armed groups since the ruling junta ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 (archived link).
The junta’s brutal crackdown on anti-coup protesters resulted in thousands of young people joining the PDF and renewed fighting with ethnic armed groups.
Intense clashes between the military and anti-coup fighters around the Golden Rock Pagoda area became a security concern for tourists and pilgrims visiting the site (archived links here and here).
Comments show that users seem to believe the claim.
“May the heroes who fight for the truth be safely returned to the bosom of their mothers through the power of the Golden Rock Pagoda,” one user said.
“Be safe all beloved hero PDF,” said another.
But the pagoda in the video is a replica of the famous Buddhist shrine, located about 654 kilometers from its original location in Mon State.
Replica pagoda
The comments in the post stated that the video shows a replica of the Golden Rock Pagoda in Daung O Gyi Village in Myaing Municipality.
A 2021 photo on Google Maps showed the pagoda in Daung O Gyi – which is located in the largely flat central area of Magway — has a similar railing to that seen in the pagoda in the false post (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the snippet in the fake message (left) and the Google Maps photo of the replica pagoda (right) with matching features highlighted by AFP:
Screenshot comparison of the clip in the fake post (left) and the Google Maps photo of the replica pagoda (right) with matching features highlighted by AFP
An AFP photo of the Golden Rock Pagoda taken in 2016 also revealed that its features differ from those of the replica pagoda.
The Golden Rock Pagoda has a concrete staircase that appears to surround it, while the replica has none, as seen in Google Maps Street View images (archived link).
Screenshot comparison of the replica (left) and the stairs of the Golden Rock Pagoda (right), highlighted by AFP
Replicas of famous Buddhist sites are common in Myanmar, with more replicas of the Golden Rock Pagoda built in Dawei and Paung townships (archived links here and here).
AFP previously debunked false information regarding the PDF forces here, here and here.
