Angkor Wat site in danger: Deputy PM
- Friday, 07 December 2012
- Thik Kaliyann

- In a rare acknowledgement of deforestation concerns, Deputy Prime
Minister Sok An, chairman of the National Commission for UNESCO, said
the widespread clearing of forests around Angkor Wat was harming views
of the historic temple complex.
Sok An made the remarks in Siem
Reap at a Plenary Session of the International Co-ordinating Committee
for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor
(ICC-Angkor) on Wednesday, and stressed that the forest, known as Phnom
Kulen, was degraded and needed immediate attention.
“I’ve known
that Phnom Kulen is endangered now, thus this plateau region needs
urgent protection,” he said, calling for a halt to all forest clearing
which “affects our view of our national park”.
Sok An also called
on Siem Reap provincial governor Sou Phirin to co-operate with the
APSARA Authority and UNESCO to protect the national park.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that the Phnom Kulen issue was on the government’s radar.
“In the meeting, we’re paying attention to Phnom Kulen,” he said. “It’s becoming an endangered place.”
According
to Siphan, talks are ongoing about problems posed by both flooding and
groundwater fluctuations, which are thought to be causing some temples
to sink, which in turn causes structural damage.
“We are still
discussing surface water, and we have to make sure that there’s no
flooding in the temples and Siem Reap city,” he said.
In
September the Italian government donated $200,000 to repair an
embankment and stairway in the temple’s moat that were damaged by
floods.
Angkor marks its 20th year on UNESCO’s list of World
Heritage Sites this year, but, due to the national mourning for King
Father Norodom Sihanouk, who played a key role in Angkor’s addition to
the list, anniversary celebrations will be postponed until the World
Heritage Committee meeting in June.
To contact the reporter on this story: Thik Kaliyann at kaliyann.thik@phnompenhpost.com
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