Tourist sparks fury after disgusting act at UNESCO site
The man was caught urinating on the world's largest Buddha statue.
A tourist has sparked outrage by performing a disgusting act at a giant Buddha statue at a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The man was captured urinating on the sacred sculpture.
He took advantage of a CCTV blind spot to scale a fence and climb on top of the giant statue. He then paraded around on the monument’s head before allegedly urinating in front of scores of visitors on January 31.
After being informed of what was happening, security guards rushed to remove the man from the Leshan Giant Buddha.
Man handed over to police
The 71-metre-tall monument is based in the Mount Emei Scenic Area, located in Sichuan Province in China. It was carved out of a cliff face between 713 and 803 AD. With the confluence of the Min and Dadu rivers flowing below its feet, the Buddha sculpture faces Mount Emei.
It is considered the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. The Mount Emei Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
After being detained, the man was handed over to the police who took him to a nearby hospital to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. If found to be in a healthy mental state, the suspect will be punished in accordance with the law.
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One of many examples of bad behaviour by tourists
The act comes as tourists have been repeatedly called out for acting inappropriately abroad recently. This week, a photo of two Speedo-clad tourists at a Thai airport has renewed pleas for travellers to be respectful of different cultures, particularly in countries where there are strict laws around public decency.
The photo, taken at Phuket International Airport — one of the country's busiest portals that serves almost 10 million people each year — went viral earlier this week after two men wearing only budgie smugglers were snapped stacking their bags onto a trolley.
Jam Press
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