Phreah Vihear National Authority Director H.E. Hong Soth claimed that the amount of local and international tourists to Visit Phreah Vihear temple is increasing after the Cambodia-Thai frontier conflict has been eased.
A local newspaper on August, 27 informed that there are around 250-300 visitors including Thais visit the temple daily on average. Tourists can travel up to the mountain via the two possible roads from Cambodia’s side:
- The western road which is currently completed about 50 percent built by Bayon Foundation
- The eastern road which is wooden stair
The Cambodia-Thai border checkpoint at Preah Vihear is still closed. H.E. Hong Soth mentioned about the possibility to re-open the gate again:
The intension to enlist the temple as world treasure, because we want humankind from all races regardless of discriminations to visit and feel proud of this architecture, so it is reasonable to facilitate tourists to approach the temple with all possible ways. But the decision have to be made at the government level.
On the other hand, he said the temple is getting more ruined, we not yet receive any fund from UNESCO to repair the temple.
So far, some of the damaged parts are chemically and mechanically ruined; caused by natural evolution and fire shells by Thai aggression, due to water from the rain penetrate into the stone structure make it early degraded, and other climate factors.
He warned:
It is the concerning threat, if the repairing projects are late to arrive, the temple will soon get worsen.
UNESCO agreed to donate US$ 70,000 dollars to immediately restore the temple before the real restoration projects come, but he said up to now, the fund is only on the paper.
Regarding to the Bioelectricity installation at the temple, he points out in next two years Phreah Vihear and surrounding villages will be lighted up.
It should be pointed out that at the 35th UNESCO’s World heritage Committee (WHC) meeting at Paris, France 186 countries of UNESCO members and 19 members of the permanent world heritage committee exclude Cambodia and Thailand supported the Phreah Vihear Management Plan, H.E. Chuch Phoeurn, Chairman of Phreah Vihear National Authority (PVNA) said after returning from the WHC meeting.
He also confirmed:
The management Plan is approved and agreed completely; and the meeting also decided for the urgent specialists to study the temple structure, ruin, to immediately restore the temple.
The Phreah Vihear Management Plan was taken almost three years to complete contributing from local and international expertise archeologists; the plan spotlights on 13 recommendations to sustainably manage this humankind treasure site:
- Landscape, Forest, and Environment protection
- Restaurants, guesthouses, and souvenir shops
- Road
- Tourism visitation eastern of the temple
- Temple restoration, maintenances, and wooden stair construction
- Human resources serving various affairs at the area
- Scientific information gathering relevant to the temple
- Water stream, and temple structure’s balance
- Ruinous structure re-building located at third Gobora
- Hygiene and waste managements
- Environment, forest, and water management
- Pond (Baray) excavation
- Flooded eliminations surrounding the sites
Some Photos of my visit at Preah Vihear:
About Vutha Tim
Pingback: Cambodia: Tourists Return to Preah Vihear · Global Voices