Commune suspends pagoda construction in national relic site in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Local authorities and residents said that a project called Linh Sam Pagoda has built many items right in the national relic area of Huu Temple without permission.
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| For about 2 months now, the road leading to Huu Temple (Thanh Yen Commune, Thanh Chuong District) has been constantly filled with trucks. Inside the temple grounds, dozens of workers are busy working day and night. In just a short time, a series of houses have sprung up. "They are building right in the relic grounds, the people here are very curious" - said Mr. Nguyen Canh Truyen, the caretaker of Huu Temple. |
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| According to the reporter's records, although construction has only been going on for about 2 months, there are already 6 buildings and a three-door gate with quite massive architecture that have basically completed the rough construction. This construction area occupies an area of about 6,000 square meters. |
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| According to Mr. Le Hong Long - Secretary of Thanh Yen Commune Party Committee, this is Linh Sam Pagoda project, built with a total investment of 1 million dollars in phase one. "The investor expects to complete phase 1 this year, so they are working very quickly. Next year, they will continue to invest in phase 2. Both phases have a total investment of nearly 40 billion VND", Mr. Long said and informed that in phase one, all capital was sponsored by a large corporation. |
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| Thanh Yen commune leaders admitted that Linh Sam pagoda has not been granted a construction permit and most of its area is located in the protected area of the Huu Temple National Historical Site. |
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| A corner of an unlicensed pagoda being built within the grounds of a national monument. After facing fierce opposition from the local people, the Thanh Yen commune government recently had to issue a notice suspending the construction of this project. |
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| When asked why a massive construction project without a permit was built on national relic land for a long time without the commune authorities knowing, Mr. Bui Hong Chuong - Chairman of Thanh Yen Commune People's Committee said that "at first we thought these procedures were not necessary. Then people reported and checked again, then we discovered and suspended it?". |
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| An unfinished building right next to the main shrine of Huu Temple. |
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| "This pagoda was built right on the temple's land, which means it is occupying the temple's land, seriously affecting the landscape and sacredness of the temple. The construction is a disregard for the nation's historical culture and the Heritage Law," said Mr. Nguyen Canh Nhu, representative of the Nguyen Canh family. |
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| Massive wooden pillars have been erected in the buildings of the million-dollar pagoda project. |
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| Not only did the investor encroach on the relic site, he also used an ancient house in Huu Temple as a living space for construction workers. |
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| A corner of Huu Temple, on the left is the newly built pagoda project. Huu Temple is the place to worship Thai Pho Tan Quoc Cong Nguyen Canh Hoan (1521 - 1576), a military general with many contributions under the Le Trung Hung Dynasty. During his lifetime, he had many great contributions in preserving, expanding the territory and protecting the lives of the people of Hoan Chau. After his death, people in many places built temples to worship him. In 2009, Huu Temple was ranked as a National Historical - Architectural - Artistic Relic. Currently, the temple still preserves 3 ancient buildings: upper hall, middle hall and lower hall, over 400 years old, along with many valuable antiques and relics. The temple is also a familiar spiritual destination for people in the area. |
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| The notice of suspension of construction of Linh Sam pagoda by Thanh Yen Commune People's Committee is posted on unfinished buildings. |
