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00:00:00:00

[MUSIC] ANW2866_006_Lurking-Danger.wav

AL Jazeera 101 East opening slide

00:00:06:16

Myanmar is once again under brutal military rule… But in a country seemingly controlled by the might of the gun, there are hidden forces at play.

Military crackdown

00:00:24:04

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

In this world, the mystery power or magic power exists to help the needs of the people.

Lin Nyo Tar Yar clip

00:00:31:16

A mystical world of potions, spells and rituals where people believed to possess magical abilities can tell fortunes, and bring prosperity.

Lin in his group ceremony

Best shots montage

00:00:42:01

[CHARLOTTE:]

The weiza can help them to gain the power, to gain the authority.

Charlotte clip

00:00:46:15

101 East enters the enchanted world of the Weizza - the Wizards of Myanmar.’

 Best shots montage

00:00:56:06

101 East TITLE

00:00:59:07

[UPSOUND, horn]

[TEXT:] The Wizards Of Myanmar

A film by Ali Fowle

Establishing shots, night time North Dagon, Yangon.

00:01:11:21

It’s November 2020, in Yangon, Myanmar, just 2 months before the military seize power in a brutal crackdown.

We’re here to observe a festival to celebrate the full moon.

Shots of the beginning part of the ceremony

Full moon

00:01:31:19

[UPSOUND CHANTING]

Oh, daughter of the king of the heavens…

CEREMONY BEGINS….

00:01:41:21

Lin Nyo Tar Yar has been waiting for this night for months.

He’s about to gain special powers.

[UPSOUND CHANTING]

Close up Lin Nyo Tar Yar at the ceremony

00:01:54:09

[MUSIC]    ANW1677_008_Mind-Journey.wav

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

At full moon, we can advance to another stage or improve our positions.

Everything in nature is more powerful during the fullmoon than on other days.

Ceremony shots

00:02:12:09

This mystical ceremony is taking place at the home of Lin’s master, Tin Tun.

Tin Tun is training Lin in the magical arts.

He tells me Lin has a gift that thousands would envy.

He has been chosen to become a Weizza, a Myanmar Wizard.

Shots of Tin Tun’s home

Weizza statues and magical paraphernalia

Ali and Tin Tun talking

00:02:32:01

[TIN TUN]

Only those on the path of the weizza can become a weizza.

One night, while I was meditating, I saw a weizza, an enlightened person, holding the hand of a boy.

He requested me to teach this boy.

He is quite an extraordinary boy.

Tin Tun interview

00:02:57:01

In Myanmar, where belief in the supernatural is widespread, many people worship the weizza as part of their daily routine.

It’s believed that they can cure disease, and bring riches and good fortune

-

Cuttaways of Weizza statues and shrines in the house

00:03:11:14

Tonight’s ceremony is jam packed with mystical practices, including

astrological signs, fortune telling, communicating with spirits

…and with Wizards.

Nat Kadaw ceremony

Neighbours making offerings and receiving blessings

Calculation and reading out of fortunes

00:03:24:07

[UPSOUND moments while getting ready]

[MUSIC] ANW2963_128_Far-East-Temple-Drone-5.wav

Ceremonies

00:03:25:18

At one point I’m even invited to join in.

Food offering and candle lighting ceremony with Ali taking part

00:03:30:10

[ALI]

So because I’m born on a Tuesday, I’ve been asked to take part in the ceremony. They need people born on each day of the week and I’m leading the ceremony.

ALI PTC

00:03:41:14

The celebrations continue long into the night, with locals coming to make offerings and gain merit.

In the early hours of the morning, Lin’s big moment finally arrives.

Adorned with a white sash, he calls on the moon and the spirits to oversee his graduation to the next level of sorcery.

Shots of neighbours taking part in ceremony

LIN NYO TAR YAR Initiation to higher level CEREMONY….

Lin lighting the candles

00:04:06:14

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

I felt like I possessed a stronger power that inhabited my whole body.

Interview LIN NYO TAR YAR

00:04:17:14

New disciples come to pledge their allegiance

Pledge of allegiance to LIN NYO TAR YAR from followers.

00:04:22:22

But the night is not yet over for Lin.

To harness the power of tonight’s full moon he must take part in one last ritual.

A tattoo believed to pass on supernatural protection.

Preparation of the tattoo

LIN NYO TAR YAR receives Protection Tattoo

00:04:38:05

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

 If the tattoo is done during the full moon, the effect can be 10 or even 100 times stronger than if it was done on a normal day.

LIN NYO TAR YAR receives Protection Tattoo

00:04:47:22

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

 In the normal situation when someone is punched, hit in the head or stabbed he will probably lose consciousness and fall down.

For us, it feels like nothing to our head. We feel nothing more than a poke on the head.

LIN NYO TAR YAR receives Protection Tattoo

00:05:13:01

Tin Tun decides it’s time to test whether Lin has gained special protective powers - with a machete

[UPSOUND MACHETE IN BANANA LEAF]

Tin Tun Slices banana leaf with the machete

00:05:21:18

[TIN TUN:]

Lift your chin

I’m afraid that’s going to hit your face

Open your chest,

Chin up.don’t laugh

[UPSOUND MACHETE ON BODY]

Tin Tun tests LIN NYO TAR YAR’s Tattoo

00:05:35:10

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

I felt a bit terrified.

[UPSOUND STICK ON MACHETE]

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

The ritual was more intense at that ceremony than usual.

I felt scared as I failed to follow some rules. It was quite possible for my abilities to wear off.

Tin Tun tests LIN NYO TAR YAR’s Tattoo

00:05:35:10

MUSIC ANW1928_006_Rituals-Of-Dark-Magic.wav

00:05:58:15

In Myanmar, even the generals are well known for their superstitious beliefs.

GVs

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They’ve relied on numerologists, Astrologers and people believed to be Wizards to help guide major, sometimes bizarre decisions.

Fearing the country had moved too far to the left politically, on the advice of fortune tellers, the former military leader Ne Win ordered drivers to change from driving on the left side of the road, to the right.

Astrologers are believed to have influenced the construction of a new capital and even the change of the country’s name, from Burma to Myanmar.

Archive of military generals

Cars on the road

MYAWADDY TV (Reuters)

Archive Naypyidaw*

00:06:40:11

I’m visiting Lin at his house on the outskirts of Yangon

Establishing shots Okkalapa

Ali walking to Lin’s house

00:06:44:10

[UPSOT GREETING:

ALI: Hi Lin..

ALI: Hi

00:06:45:20

This is where he makes spells and charms and tells fortunes

Ali in Lin’s house

00:06:51:01

Lin became fascinated by the supernatural when he was just four years old after he was given some tarot cards.

He tells me weizza who have achieved enlightenment guide him on his journey to learn magic through dreams and meditation.

But to achieve this status takes years of hard work and discipline

Sequence with Lin - doing the magic square

Chanting spells

Shots of all the Weizza related things around his house.

Lin doing magic square

00:07:14:09

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

 Some weizza gain 'cosmo power', which is a connection with the universe.

If a weizza can achieve this stage, they can fly, dive underground and walk on water.

Interview Lin Nyo Tay yar

Lin Nyo Tay Yar meditating and beading

00:07:34:05

It’s believed each weizza has different talents. Some gain the ability to teleport while others can turn base metal into gold.

Shots of Weizza related things around his house.

00:07:44:10

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

 They are just people but more powerful.

 If ‘weizza’ is translated to an English word, 'wizard' has the closest meaning to it.

LNT Interview

cutaways

00:08:01:16

Lin says over the last decade, social media has helped spark interest in the supernatural  amongst the young generation

Archive Kids on phones*

(Unless there’s anything that works in lin’s b-roll. I don’t think I have him on his phone?)

Or shots from Charlotte of her selling charms?

00:08:10:09

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

That knowledge has been opened to everyone.

The youth are now really curious about weizza and they want to know about the invisible world.

LNT Interview

00:08:26:19

Lin is building a prominent profile as a talented fortune teller.

Lin with clients?

00:08:31:22

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

What name do people call you?

[ALI]

Ali… A-L-I.

Set up Ali and Lin sitting together,

00:08:37:02

…and today he’s going to have a go at telling mine

00:08:41:01

[LIN NYO TAR YAR:]

 Let me see your left hand.

Compared to last year this year you will face lots of challenges.

They will be both good challenges and bad challenges.

Lin reading Ali’s fortune.

00:08:53:23

[MUSIC] ANW2664_006_Lair.wav                

Coup footage

00:08:55:10

A prediction of challenges ahead was not far off the mark…

Just two weeks later, Myanmar underwent a military coup.

Coup footage

00:08:05:07

The generals arrested anyone they saw as a potential threat to their hold on power - politicians, protesters, journalists…

And fortune tellers.

Montage of coup arrest images

00:09:18:05

Not even supernatural forces, it seems, could protect Lin

Live stream of Lin Nyo Tar Yar’s arrest

00:09:26:13

[UPSOT POLICE] If you don’t open the door, we may have to destroy the door,

Live stream of Lin Nyo Tar Yar’s arrest

00:09:30:13

Days after the coup, Lin Nyo Tar Yar was detained

Taken from his home by police officers at midnight.

Live stream of Lin Nyo Tar Yar’s arrest

00:09:38:10

[UPSOT POLICE:] We can use violence or you can come quietly

Live stream of Lin Nyo Tar Yar’s arrest

00:09:41:11

[UPSOUND pots and pans as they take Lin Nyo Tar Yar away]

Live stream of Lin Nyo Tar Yar’s arrest

00:09:47:09

He had posted photos of himself online, performing a ritual he said would “destroy the dictators”.

Photos of the spell/rituals that got Lin Nyo Thyar arrested

00:09:54:12

His arrest sparked outrage. Hundreds defied a strict curfew and spent the night outside the police station, demanding his release.

Their pleas were ignored but Lin’s popularity shows the power and influence of those who profess to have magical abilities

Crowds gathered outside police station.  

00:10:17:21

[MUSIC] ANW2755_008_Jublag-Joy.wav

00:10:20:06

Weizza practices are rooted in Buddhism, the dominant religion in Myanmar.

And several of those believed to have reached so-called weizza enlightenment are Buddhist monks.

Montage shots of monks, Buddhism, Shwedagon etc

00:10:32:15

Abbot Wi Lar Tha is proud of his monastery's connection to a famous weizza.

Establishing monastery

CLOSE UP Wi Lar Tha

00:10:39:02

[WI LAR THA] This temple has a connection with weizza because of the holy monk and revered master Yar Kyaw

He always carried a bag with him.

It seemed empty,

but whenever he put his hand inside, whatever money he needed for donations always came out.

That’s why the public regarded the master as a weizza, an enlightened one.

Wi Lar Tha walking around the temple

Photo of Yar Kyaw

Wi Lar Tha Interview shot

00:11:08:18

Yar Kyaw was believed to be gifted in alchemy and making people rich.

There are rumours he lived for hundreds of years.

Strewn with donations, Yar Kyaw’s bed is left untouched decades after his death.

His body is encased in a golden tomb to protect it from thieves trying to steal his power.

It’s believed that Weizza undergo a magical transformation when they die.

Photos of Yar Kyaw

Yar Kyaw’s bed                   

Yar Kyaw’s tomb

00:11:37:15

[WI LAR THA] To explain it clearly, how a weizza exchanges life it’s like the transformation of a butterfly.

He becomes like a shadow.

Wi Lar Tha interview

00:11:48:09

Wi Lar Tha tells me Yar Kyaw still communicates with the monks here through dreams.

And inspired the decision to accommodate some unusual residents.

Photos of Yar Kyaw

Shots of the monastery

Snakes

 00:11:58:15

[UPSOT NEW SNAKE ARRIVING]

- Any injuries?

- No.

Snake being delivered

00:12:03:01

[WI LAR THA]  I had a dream -The holy master told me that he would send a dragon and I needed to build a shed in advance. Dragons share the same kinship with snakes.

SNAKES being delivered.

00:12:19:04

Wi Lar Thar says people began bringing snakes to the temple.

Snakes

 00:12:23:17

[WI LAR THA] 

- This one arrived today.

  This girl is 11 years old.

Monk showing Ali the snakes

 00:12:33:21

[WI LAR THA] 

It won’t bite you daughter

[ALI]

Oh wow, you can feel how powerful he is.

[WI LAR THA] 

You can hug it like this.

[ALI]

Hug him?

Ali snake scene and PTC

00:12:43:22

[WI LAR THA] 

We have to pray 'metta' to them. It means loving kindness.

00:12:50:07

[ALI PTC]

So snakes are thought to have a direct connection to the weizza. They’re also thought to be descended from the dragons that you can see around the temple.  So I’m showing this guy a bit of love.

Ali PTC with snake

00:13:00:19

[MUSIC] ANW2495_007_Cold-Frame.wav

[WI LAR THA] 

 Snakes in the deep jungle are linked with the spirits and have a supernatural power to create.

Weizza have to spread loving kindness to the snakes to gain their love, then comes the connection between them.

U WI LAR looking after the snakes

 00:13:00:19

Weizza followers are not only found in Myanmar's temples'

Maung Thi is a famous movie director and a former Judge on the tv program, Myanmar’s Got Talent.

He believes he has a special connection with one weizza in particular who has given him magic powers

A man thought to have lived during the British colonial era, known as Bo Min Gaung.

Establishing shot Sanchaung

Maung Thi in his house

 00:13:52:15

Bo Min Gaung is a weizza.

He is known as the head of the weizza, the number one among all weizza.

 Photo of Bo Min Gaung

00:14:00:19

Before he started practising, Maung Thi says he led a rebellious life,

Ali and Maung Thi widest at Maung Thi interview

00:14:06:17

[MAUNG THI]

When I became a director in my early 20's, I was badly behaved.

I drank alcohol and took drugs. I didn’t even believe in a religion.

Maung Thi in his house

00:14:23:12

But then, he says Bo Min Gaung appeared to him in the spiritual town of Popa and set him back on the right path.

After consuming a powerful elixir he believes he was endowed with magical powers

Maung Thi in his house showing us his Weizza stuff

00:14:38:15

[MAUNG THI]

I thought I'd be able to dive underground or fly.

But it was not like that.

Bo Min Gaung came to me

and told me that I had to heal people.

But I refused.

I said, “I’m a film director and I don’t know how to heal people.”

Maung Thi in his house showing us his Weizza stuff

Maung thi interview

00:14:57:15

Finally, he says after days without sleep he relented and agreed to use his powers to heal.

Today, he claims to have cured all sorts of diseases.

Maung Thi meditating at the snake temple

00:15:09:09

[MAUNG THI]

Cancer, AIDS, arthritis, strokes and there were children suffering from congenital muscle weakness who could not walk since birth.

 Maung Thi meditating at the snake temple

Maung Thi interview

00:15:23:17

[Ali:]

These diseases that you mention, some of them - HIV, stage 4 cancer, they are impossible or extremely difficult to cure, how can you put your faith in something that is not an exact science? // Are you not putting people at risk?

Ali question

00:15:37:11

[MAUNG THI]

I do not know anything about medicine. For example, to cure a throat cancer patient, I prescribed salt and palm sugar.

With that prescription, when she checked, the cancer was cured.

Maung Thi interview

00:15:53:02

There’s no evidence to support Maung Thi’s claims...

and no known cure for AIDS and HIV. Local doctors warn of the dangers of people claiming they can treat these diseases with traditional methods and beliefs.

GVs myanmar. COVID centres

00:16:08:01

Even so, Maung Thi has other unproven claims. He insists he is protected from COVID-19

and that he can protect others from the virus.

Using Arsenic.

GVs myanmar. COVID centres Maung Thi with the covid medicine

00:16:20:23

This is arsenic.

It is the poison. It is the chemical.

I will put it in here.

Then, you take this and go around.

Go take it.

Go inside as well.

Maung Thi with the covid medicine

00:16:45:16

It’s only poison that can win against poison. [COVID-19] is from the dragons that are in charge of bringing catastrophe.

He first

00:16:55:10

He believes the pandemic is a way of punishing the world for its sins.

00:17:00:19

It can be called the time of catastrophe.

Bigger sins are happening

Spirits, the guardians of the world, cannot tolerate such acts.

Maung Thi interview

00:17:15:02

[MUSIC] ANW3437_031_Unwelcome-5.wav

00:17:17:17

Those who claim they can communicate with the spirits of past wizards are held in high esteem.

00:17:24:08

[UPSOT GREETINGS]

-   [ALI] Hi Charlotte, it’s Ali from Al Jazeera

-   [CHARLOTTE] Hi Ali, How are you?

-   [ALI] Good thank you, hi.

Ali Meeting / greeting of Charlotte.

00:17:29:11

Charlotte Myat says she too can communicate with weizza.

 Ali Meeting / greeting of Charlotte.

00:17:33:23

[UPSOUND FACEBOOK LIVE]

She demonstrates her gift through social media and has thousands of followers. Her clients regularly ask for charms, potions and fortune telling.

Charlotte doing Facebook live

 00:17:46:04

She says weizza guide her in making potions… her speciality.

Buying ingredients from the market

 00:17:51:24

[CHARLOTTE]

When I make the potion, I summon the weizza.

 They show me what kind of powders that I should use, what kind of herbs I have to use

Buying ingredients from the market

 00:18:04:06

She sells her potions online.

The most popular is her love potion…

Interview Char

 00:18:09:17

[CHARLOTTE]

If someone wears that kind of potion on their skin they will be really, really loved. They will get a lot of money. That gives them confidence. That’s why celebrities, and artists, song writers, singers, actresses, and Tik Tok celebrities, they try and get that kind of potion from me.

Interview char

Char setting up to make the potion

 00:18:33:23

She’s showing me how to make another type of potion.

Potion Sequence.

 00:18:37:09

[CHARLOTTE]

This potion is only for women so women can use it so that they can feel powerful. In Myanmar, people think that only men can get that kind of power, but in fact women can also access that kind of power by using this potion they can get more confidence in their daily life

Charlotte making potion.

 00:18:56:17

Charlotte believes weizza showed her this recipe because they believe in equality.

Charlotte making potion.

00:19:02:08

[CHARLOTTE]

In the weizza world there is no discrimination against gender. That's why weizza want to encourage women. That’s why they're trying to give that kind of potion as well.

Charlotte making potion.

00:19:13:02

[UPSOT Ali receiving the potion]

[ALI] A present for me? Thank you so much. So this is going to make me powerful?

Sequence of Ali receiving the potion

00:19:15:10

[MUSIC] ANW1190_030_Spirit-World-2.wav

Ali receiving the potion

00:19:17:03

Charlotte says she first saw a weizza when she was just seven years old.

Her mum can also communicate with them.

Charlotte and her mum

00:19:25:05

[CHARLOTTE]

In my family, in my ancestors, some people practice weiza and we believe that they became weiza after that.

That's why, in our family, we can communicate with them very easily.

Charlotte and her mum

photos on the wall

00:19:37:15

But her gift comes at a price.

She tells me that every person has to make a sacrifice in order to strengthen their power and for her it’s a big one…

photos on the wall

Ali interviewing Charlotte

00:19:48:02

[CHARLOTTE]

For me, I can’t marry. If I get married with someone, my power will be lost so this is the first commitment. It’s like I must be single, I must be virgin.

When you’re trying to communicate with weizza you must be pure. Not only the spiritual part but also the physical part as much as you can.

Interview Char

00:20:11:20

Charlotte tells me she had wanted a normal life but came to realise she had a duty to help people.

Client with Char

00:20:19:10

[UPSOT CLIENTS SCENE]

[CHARLOTTE:] If her connection is around here, please come now.

Char reaching out to weizza and spirits for her Client.

00:20:26:24

Today, she is treating a woman who believes someone may be using black magic to hurt her, causing pain and swelling in her arm.

Client with Char

00:20:35:13

[UPSOT CLIENTS SCENE]

[CHARLOTTE:] Ok. Open your eyes.

Give me your hand.

Raise them a little bit.

Client with Char

00:20:50:08

[CLIENT]

When I started receiving the charm, [the pain] completely disappeared.

Female client

00:21:01:16

At first, the woman’s boyfriend didn’t believe in weizza.

But he was converted after a session with Charlotte led him to fortune and success in work. Now, he’s a regular.

Male client joins female client and Charlotte

00:21:13:18

[CLIENT 2] After I had the charm, it was so extraordinary that I had to come and share about it. Things became easier and my work got better. Since I am running my own business, my communication with people improved.

[UPSOUND CHARLOTTE SAYS GOODBYE TO CLIENTS]

Male and female clients with Charlotte

Charlotte says goodbye to clients

00:21:30:21

Charlotte’s clients come from all walks of life. From ordinary people to powerful politicians.

Charlotte waving off clients

00:21:39:11

[CHARLOTTE:]

A lot of people in Myanmar try to follow weizza so they can get the benefit from weizza.

That is why people from above like politicians, artists, military officers, every type of Myanmar people believe in that.

Interview char

 00:21:55:05

[MUSIC] ANW1645_001_Edge-of-Fear.wav

Charlotte walking in the woods

 00:21:58:00

[CHARLOTTE:]

 A lot of politicians. even ministers they tried to come and talk to me.

Charlotte gathering plants for potions in the woods

00:22:04:06

But Charlotte tells me weizza hate lies and immorality, so their visits don’t always work.

 Charlotte walking in the woods

00:22:11:15

[CHARLOTTE:] Some politicians do not deserve it, so no weizza came to them. I tried to summon the weizza but nobody show up.

If the weizza thinks politicians are corrupted they will not help.

 Charlotte and Ali interview shot

Interview Charlotte

00:22:23:13

Since the military coup, the army has been accused of arresting, torturing and killing thousands of people.

Charlotte says she’s now refusing to help anyone connected to the military, but others are not so discerning,

The commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing is believed to be a devout follower of an astrologer monk and weizza practitioner who reportedly advised him to shoot protesters in the head.

Archive atrocities since the coup.

Images of Min AUng Hlaing with monk U Kovida

00:22:53:00

Charlotte has now gone into hiding but she manages to send me a message of resistance.

Atrocities since the coup.

Ali looking at phone video message

00:22:59:18

[CHARLOTTE PHONE MESSAGE]

We do a lot of campaigns

counter attacking the spiritual supernatural beliefs of the military government. It is what we call spiritual revolution.

PHONE VIDEO MESSAGE FROM CHARLOTTE

Police and soldiers

Phone message

00:23:14:07

Those involved in this spiritual resistance have been exploiting a superstitious belief that men can be weakened by women’s clothing. During the crackdown they encouraged protesters to hang skirts and underwear on the streets.

LONGYIS BEING HUNG AT THE PROTESTS

00:23:30:03

[CHARLOTTE PHONE MESSAGE]

The soldiers, If they go under the garment, they think that their masculine energy, their masculine power will be lesser and they could be in terrible danger in the future.

So as the result they didn’t dare to enter the street so we can delay the march of the soldiers. 

That is the superstitious nature, the superstitious actions of the military regimes dictators.

Longyis being hung on the street

ALI WATCHING PHONE VIDEO MESSAGE FROM CHARLOTTE

Phone message

00:24:01:06

Charlotte says her spiritual campaigns have successfully intimidated the military.

But she says she’s now wanted and has been told there’s a warrant out for her arrest.

Police and military in streets

Police van on street

00:24:14:14

[CHARLOTTE PHONE MESSAGE]

Under the military coup, under the dictator, without democracy, no one is safe, nowhere is safe and I’m not in a safe place yet.

Police van on street

Charlotte phone message

00:24:29:11

The crackdown has forced many in the supernatural world underground.

At least three fortune tellers remain behind bars, including Lin Nyo Tar Yar, the young wizard who tried to cast a spell to reverse the coup.

He’s been sentenced to two years in prison for incitement.

GVs Yangon

Lin Nyo Tar Yar chanting spells

00:24:52:12

The power of the weizza may not have saved their followers from the might of the military. But the threat of their abilities and their influence scares the generals in a way very little else can.

00:25:07:13

[Al Jazeera Slide]

AL Jazeera 101 East closing slide

00:25:11:10

ENDS