The hazards of a Chinese makeover of Marawi

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Ironic. That is how Sultan Abdul Hamidullah Atar described the planned rehabilitation of Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur province on the Philippine island of Mindanao, a year after the Maute Group, also known as the Islamic State of Lanao, launched an attack on the city on May 23.

The five-month battle that followed claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people and displaced 360,000 others.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 24, 2018, with the headline The hazards of a Chinese makeover of Marawi. Subscribe