Tourism Indochina: Angkor Wat bans tacky souvenirs

Angkor Wat bans tacky souvenirs

It was announced last week that smoking would be banned at Angkor temple sites, and this week local authorities added that there will also be a clampdown on tacky souvenirs and photos.

On Tuesday, Bun Narith, director general of the Apsara Authority told Insider that the smoking ban had been introduced to protect temples from ashes and fire and show respect to the monuments, the culture and the religion, as well as to promote health and comfort for visitors.

He added that the Apsara Authority prohibits the sale of certain “tacky” souvenirs such as ashtrays or drinking glasses that contained a sketch of the temple at the bottom of the glass.

Also prohibited is the practice of vendors superimposing photographs of tourists on an Angkor Wat background that is then printed on a souvenir and sold.

Apsara Authority director general Bun Narith said such sales practices and prohibited souvenirs were damaging the Khmer identity and pride and must stop immediately.

Source: Phnompenhpost/22June2012

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Tourism Indochina: The Most Recommended World Heritage Site Worldwide is Angkor Wat

Tourism Indochina: The Most Recommended World Heritage Site Worldwide is Angkor Wat

World Heritage Site: A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 states parties which are elected by their General Assembly.

The program catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The programme was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage,[3] which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16, 1972. Since then, 186 states party have ratified the convention.

As of 2011, 936 sites are listed: 725 cultural, 183 natural, and 28 mixed properties, in 153 States Parties. Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites to date with 47 sites inscribed on the list. UNESCO references each World Heritage Site with an identification number; but new inscriptions often include previous sites now listed as part of larger descriptions. As a result, the identification numbers exceed 1200 even though there are fewer on the list.

While each World Heritage Site remains part of the legal territory of the state wherein the site is located, UNESCO considers it in the interest of the international community to preserve each site.

Angkor Wat: Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.

Tourism Indochina: The Most Recommended World Heritage Site Worldwide is Angkor Wat:

(Tourism Indochina:Date : 2011-03-07):

According to the quarter million of survey conducted under collaboration of UNESCO and Trip Advisor, it revealed that most recommended world heritage site worldwide is Angkor Wat , a human treasure in Kingdom of Cambodia and that 72 % of traveler would do more to contribute to world heritage site conservation if they know how.

Trip Advisor revealed the result of the biggest analysis ever conducted of UNESCO World Heritage Site around the world. This result collected via on site and email campaign of trip advisor from around a quarter of a million (244,690) feedback submission of travelers who have visited 789 of world heritage site list.

The two year- partnership between Trip Advisor and UNESCO world Heritage Site promote awareness to support cultural and natural site of world heritage site and also 1.5 million (USD) is donated by TripAdvisor to help World heritage Center in conservation.

According to Trip Advisor Travelers, the “Top Ten” most recommended sites are:

1. Angkor, Cambodia 2. Historic Center of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See, Italy 3. Historic Center of Florence, Italy 4. Historic Areas of Istanbul, Turkey 5. Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, Scotland 6. Historic Center of Prague, Czech Republic 7. Venice and its Lagoon, Venezia, Italy 8. Works of Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona, Spain 9. Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Cathedral, London, England 10. Historic Center of Vienna, Austria.

We, Cambodian are very proud to have Angkor as the most recommended world heritage site ever recorded in the world among others site and pleased to warmly welcome for tourism in Cambodia, a kingdom of wonder.

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Tourism Indochina: Overcrowding Tourists at Angkor Wat

Tourism Indochina: Overcrowding Tourists at Angkor Wat

(Tourism Indochina:Date : 2008-06-22):

The large number of tourists visiting Angkor Wat has become a problem of overcrowding in the famous archaeological and historical heritage site in Siem Reap. Expert and conservationists and about 225 scientists attended the meeting on restoration and preservation of ancient Angkor sites, held in Siem Reap on June 4 and 5, 2008.


Tourism Indochina: Tourists Visiting Angkor Wat


Despite the fact that authority put strong much effort on site management, the overcrowded tourist leads to serious problem and many major site are being damaged unintentionally. Tourists cannot be stopped, but the appropriate strategies should be taken in to the priority consideration in order to fix the problems that may seriously occur effectively and on time. Diversification of attraction for tourists to visit can be a strategic solution of the site. One of the organizers, UNESCO's Program Specialist Philippe Delanghe, said that the development of new attractions is a priority for managing tourist traffic.


However, development of new attractions must be in sustainable manner and not damaging, while maintain and contribute economical benefit to all stakeholders and have the same share goals and interests.

By CHHEM Samnang

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Tourism Indochina: Cambodia: I put my paws on Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.

Tourism Indochina: Cambodia: I put my paws on Angkor Wat

(Tourism Indochina:Date : 2008-07-24):

We tourists have multiplied, and for the ancient Angkor temples, in Cambodia, this represents a 21st century kind of stress that is spelling trouble for some of the ruins. As reported by Los Angeles Times writer Paul Watson in “Too much adoration at Cambodia’s Angkor temples,” about 300,000 tourists per year visited the site a decade ago; Cambodia’s government hopes 2010 will bring in 3 million visitors.


That’s a lot of feet stomping on centuries-old stones, a lot of dirty hands on aged sandstone slabs.And my paws and I are among those to blame. I spent three memorable days at the spectacular temple complex in 2002. I doubt that I purposely bumped up against the stones or finger-traced any carvings -– I’ve learned at least some environmental and cultural sensitivity over the years -– but color me guilty anyway; I’m sure that, inadvertently or not, I touched the wat (temple). Even if minimal, I left a little impact, particularly considering that in a place like Angkor, some of the temples have yet to be tourist-proofed.


With hope, conservationists will make headway at the site, helping to put into place plans that minimize future unintentional damage, and hopefully we tourists will try to tread sensitively. Ankgor Wat and the other temples and ruins of Angkor are truly among the world’s most wondrous sites. I wish for everyone the opportunity to explore them, and I’d like to see them again myself –- if we can prevent our curiosity from having a deleterious effect.


By Susan Derby

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Siem Reap, Cambodia : The small cycle and big cycle road around Angkor Area will be closed temporary

Siem Reap (Khmer: ក្រុងសៀមរាប) is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.

Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In the city, there are traditional Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake.

Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a large number of hotels and restaurants. Most smaller establishments are concentrated around the Old Market area, while more expensive hotels are located between Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and the town along National Road 6. There are a variety of mid-range hotels and restaurants along Sivatha boulevard, and mid budget to mid-range hotels in the Phsar Leu area.

The Town is a cluster of small villages along the Siem Reap River. These villages were originally developed around Buddhist pagodas (Wat) which are almost evenly spaced along the river from Wat Preah En Kau Sei in the north to Wat Phnom Krom in the south, where the Siem Reap River meets the great Tonle Sap Lake.

The main town is concentrated around Sivutha Street and the Psar Chas area (Old Market area) where there are old colonial buildings, shopping and commercial districts. The Wat Bo area is now full of guesthouses and restaurants while the Psar Leu area is often crowded with jewellery and handicraft shops, selling rubies to woodcarving. Other fast developing areas are the airport road and main road to Angkor where a number of large hotels and resorts can be found.

Recent flooding in Siem Reap by the heavy rain, APSARA Authority which manages the Temple and Tourism area in Siem Reap announces that the small cycle and big cycle road around Angkor Area will be closed temporarily for 24 seats bus.

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The Most Recommended world heritage site worldwide is Angkor Wat

According to the quarter million of survey conducted under collaboration of UNESCO and Trip Advisor, it revealed that most recommended world heritage site worldwide is Angkor Wat , a human treasure in Kingdom of Cambodia and that 72 % of traveler would do more to contribute to world heritage site conservation if they know how.

Trip Advisor revealed the result of the biggest analysis ever conducted of UNESCO World Heritage Site around the world. This result collected via on site and email campaign of trip advisor from around a quarter of a million (244,690) feedback submission of travelers who have visited 789 of world heritage site list.

The two year- partnership between Trip Advisor and UNESCO world Heritage Site promote awareness to support cultural and natural site of world heritage site and also 1.5 million (USD) is donated by TripAdvisor to help World heritage Center in conservation.

According to Trip Advisor Travelers, the “Top Ten” most recommended sites are:

1. Angkor, Cambodia 2. Historic Center of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See, Italy 3. Historic Center of Florence, Italy 4. Historic Areas of Istanbul, Turkey 5. Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, Scotland 6. Historic Center of Prague, Czech Republic 7. Venice and its Lagoon, Venezia, Italy 8. Works of Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona, Spain 9. Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Cathedral, London, England 10. Historic Center of Vienna, Austria

We, Cambodian are very proud to have Angkor as the most recommended world heritage site ever recorded in the world among others site and pleased to warmly welcome for tourism in Cambodia, a kingdom of wonder.

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Angkor Wat Has Been a Popular Destination Serving Japanese Tourists in Cambodia

Cambodia officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With a total landmass of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi), it is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.

The capital and largest city is Phnom Penh, the political, economical, and cultural center of Cambodia.

The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Norodom Sihamoni an elected monarch chosen by the Royal Throne Council as head of state. The head of government is Hun Sen who is currently the longest serving leader in South East Asia and has ruled Cambodia for over 25 years.

The tourism industry is the country's second-greatest source of hard currency after the textile industry. Between January and December 2007, visitor arrivals were 2.0 million, an increase of 18.5% over the same period in 2006. Most visitors (51%) arrived through Siem Reap with the remainder (49%) through Phnom Penh and other destinations. Other tourist destinations include Sihanoukville in the south east which has several popular beach resorts and the area around Kampot and Kep including the Bokor Hill Station. Tourism has increased steadily each year in the relatively stable period since the 1993 UNTAC elections; in 1993 there were 118,183 international tourists, and in 2009 there were 2,161,577 international tourists.

With a population of over 14.8 million, Cambodia is the 69th most populous country in the world. The official religion is Theravada Buddhism which is practiced by around 92% of the Cambodian population. The country minority groups include Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams and 30 various hill tribes.

Most of the tourists were Japanese, Chinese, Americans, South Koreans and French people, said the report, adding that the industry earned some 1400 million U.S. dollars in 2007, accounting for almost ten percent of the kingdom's gross national products. Chinese-language newspaper Jianhua Daily quoted industry official as saying that Cambodia will have three million foreign tourist arrival in 2010 and five million in 2015. Tourism has been one of Cambodia's triple pillar industries. The Angkor Wat historical park in Siem Reap province, the beaches in Sihanoukville and the capital city Phnom Penh are the main attractions for foreign tourists.

From 1993 till now, Cambodia has attracted 1.4 million of Japanese Tourist which is one percent of Japanese total population; hence, this figure is still small. However Cambodia via the Ministry of Tourism and related development agency and relevant stakeholders are putting much effort to overcome such a big challenge.

Japanese Travelers travel around 17 Million over the world while 2.8 million visited ASEAN region in 2010. Cambodia can attract a small proportion of these other countries. Angkor Wat has been a popular destination serving Japanese tourist in Cambodia. Japanese tourists have a large contribution of spending in tourism sector. Attracting Japanese tourist, The Ministry of Tourism has been working hard to diversify products. Therefore, not only cultural tourism we try to promote coastal tourism and ecotourism. As Cambodia Bay was integrated to the world most beautiful beach which represents the world class beach since 21st -23rd Jan in French, we highly recommended for coastal tourism beside cultural tourism which is very famous for heritage site.

In addition to facilities and services we have to serves Japanese Tourist, Cambodia try to develop hotel, eco-lodges, golf courses, airport, harbor, convention centre, professional tourism and training schools in emerging destinations in Cambodia. For sure that connectivity and transportation are key player for tourism flow but the two countries will have direct flight at the end of this year by ANA, according to H.E. Hor Monirath- Ambassador of Kingdom of Cambodia to Japan; this would help accelerate Japanese tourist to Cambodia while this upcoming connecting flight will provide low -cost carrier services.

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Australian Government reinforces its Funds in Trust for conservation of Angkor and other heritage

The Australian Funds-in-Trust, established in August 2008 between the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Australian Government, has been increased. A sum of $AUS830, 000 has been added to the Australian Government's first generous contribution of $AUS2.5 million. From the Funds-in-Trust, $AUS1.13 million will be used to support the development of a conservation and management plan for the World Heritage property of Angkor, Cambodia, through a project called Heritage Management Framework. The framework is designed to strengthen the technical expertise and governance of the Cambodian Government managing agency, APSARA, so that the benefits of tourism and development at Angkor can be shared fairly while ensuring environment protection.

The Funds-in-Trust was created to support World Heritage-related activities in Asia and the Pacific region, with a particular priority to projects in the Pacific region, which is still one of the least represented regions on the World Heritage List.

The Funds-in-Trust will also support the organization of a workshop on the future direction of the World Heritage Convention to be held in February 2009. This workshop, requested by the World Heritage Committee, is meant to reflect on global strategic issues, key challenges, trends and opportunities facing the World Heritage Convention in view of its upcoming fortieth anniversary in 2012.

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Cambodia: I put my paws on Angkor Wat

We tourists have multiplied, and for the ancient Angkor temples, in Cambodia, this represents a 21st century kind of stress that is spelling trouble for some of the ruins. As reported by Los Angeles Times writer Paul Watson in “Too much adoration at Cambodia’s Angkor temples,” about 300,000 tourists per year visited the site a decade ago; Cambodia’s government hopes 2010 will bring in 3 million visitors.


That’s a lot of feet stomping on centuries-old stones, a lot of dirty hands on aged sandstone slabs.And my paws and I are among those to blame. I spent three memorable days at the spectacular temple complex in 2002. I doubt that I purposely bumped up against the stones or finger-traced any carvings -– I’ve learned at least some environmental and cultural sensitivity over the years -– but color me guilty anyway; I’m sure that, inadvertently or not, I touched the wat (temple). Even if minimal, I left a little impact, particularly considering that in a place like Angkor, some of the temples have yet to be tourist-proofed.


With hope, conservationists will make headway at the site, helping to put into place plans that minimize future unintentional damage, and hopefully we tourists will try to tread sensitively. Ankgor Wat and the other temples and ruins of Angkor are truly among the world’s most wondrous sites. I wish for everyone the opportunity to explore them, and I’d like to see them again myself –- if we can prevent our curiosity from having a deleterious effect.


By Susan Derby

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Angkor temple shooter to turn his lens to Preah Vihear

A Japanese photographer who has spent 15 years and millions of dollars shooting the Angkor Wat complex will now turn his attention to the controversial Preah Vihear temple, government officials said.Baku Saito, a 60-year-old freelance photographer, has won praise from Cambodian officials for restoring Khmer pride through his depictions of the ancient stone carvings at Angkor Archaeological Park.


His photos have toured the world and are now making their way through Cambodia in the “Holy Faces of Angkor” exhibition, which is being shown at the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center, inside the Royal University of Phnom Penh, until May 31. Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said the government was proud of Saito’s work because it brought Cambodia’s rich past to the world stage and helped strengthen the roots of Khmer people.


“We learned that his job wasn’t done in one or two days, in fact it took more than 10 years and cost him millions of dollars,” Sok An said at the exhibition’s opening on May 17.He added that Saito was now considering turning his lens on Preah Vihear temple, an ancient set of Hindu ruins on the Thai border that is at the center of a long-running territorial dispute with the neighboring kingdom.


Ek Buntha, deputy director general of cultural affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said Saito “plans to take photos at Preah Vihear for the next half-year.” In the mid-1990s, Saito was part of a Japanese-funded team documenting the Angkor ruins. He was tasked with photographing the stone faces at the Bayon temple and his since built a portfolio containing hundreds of images of the site.


The photos I took are not just for fun,” Saito said on May 17. “I took them to show the world and make people aware of the richness of Khmer culture” in the 12th and 13th centuries.He estimated that his craft has cost him $5 million over the years, although his photos now fetch $4,000 to $5,000 each.


By Kay Kimsong


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Overcrowding Tourists at Angkor Wat

The large number of tourists visiting Angkor Wat has become a problem of overcrowding in the famous archaeological and historical heritage site in Siem Reap. Expert and conservationists and about 225 scientists attended the meeting on restoration and preservation of ancient Angkor sites, held in Siem Reap on June 4 and 5, 2008.


Despite the fact that authority put strong much effort on site management, the overcrowded tourist leads to serious problem and many major site are being damaged unintentionally. Tourists cannot be stopped, but the appropriate strategies should be taken in to the priority consideration in order to fix the problems that may seriously occur effectively and on time. Diversification of attraction for tourists to visit can be a strategic solution of the site. One of the organizers, UNESCO's Program Specialist Philippe Delanghe, said that the development of new attractions is a priority for managing tourist traffic.


However, development of new attractions must be in sustainable manner and not damaging, while maintain and contribute economical benefit to all stakeholders and have the same share goals and interests.

By CHHEM Samnang



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Angkor Golf Resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Golf Resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Cambodia opened has opened the new goal course near the famous temple of Angkor. The circus ground looks green and beautiful with the palm Tree of Cambodia. The Angkor Golf Resort gives a kind of sport tourism and adds more attractive the top destination of Cambodia where is called Siem Reap.


A land of treasure world’s heritage provides special features of modern golf facilities and services for the golfer .It could be interesting for the new explorer who aims to test the new experience golf in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is the first time of golf era in the land of Angkor Wat, which known as the foremost building and admirable architectural building in southeast Asia and the worldwide.


Nick Faldo has opened Angkor Golf Resort in Siem Reap and predicts great things for his company’s first course in Cambodia “Befitting a golf course designed by a master, Angkor Golf Resort has been built and constructed to the highest standards with every contour painstakingly shaped to meet Faldo’s discerning eye. But what is special about this course is that we, with the help of Nick’s expertise, have created something that will take golf to a whole new level in this country and the region.”, added Adam Robertson, Operations Manager of Angkor Golf Resort. Nick Faldo stated that “All of my favorite design elements: visibility, definition, strategy, challenge, variety, balance, playability and enjoyment are here at Angkor Golf Resort.”


The Angkor Golf Resort has been designed of 18 holes. The next phase of construction at Angkor Golf Resort will see an integrated resort and luxurious residential community. The resort will offer a relaxed and secluded lifestyle in the heart of Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination.


By CHHEM Samnang


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Angkor Wat Tour in the year 2007

The tourism industry has improved markedly in recent years in Cambodia, which is still trying to come to terms with the bloodshed inflicted by the Khmer Rouge regime. It was once dangerous to visit Angkor Wat and the other temples surrounding it.

The area was within the reach of Khmer Rouge guerrillas who decamped to the wilds of northwest Cambodia after being driven from power in 1979. But today, the country is at peace, and its glorious temples are crowded with tourists. A couple of miles to the south of Angkor, the dusty streets of deserted Siem Reap are full of tour buses and tuk tuks motorcycles. The city is abuzz with energy. The shopkeepers call prospective customers to come inside their shops. Along the road near the city’s international airport, hotels are going up quickly and they are doing good business. “We are having one of the best tourism seasons. All our rooms are already booked,” Chea Sokhon, sales executive of La Residence d’ Angkor hotel, told Asia News Network. The city of Angkor comprises over 70 temples, in various states of repair, spread across more than 30 sq km. The city was built between the 9th and 14th century at the height of Cambodia’s Khmer empire, which once governed much of modern day Thailand, Viet Nam, and Laos as well as parts of southern China and Burma. Today it is only the temples that survive the remnants of a metropolis that was the envy of the ancient Southeast Asian world. But it is Angkor Wat, which is the most popular tourist attraction. Certainly the temple itself is an architectural marvel of the ancient world, built in a perfect square more than a kilometre on each side and listed by the United Nations as a world heritage monument. “Angkor Wat is a treasure of Cambodia and of the world,”says Sermkhun Kunawong, Vice president of Bayon CM Organiser, which is organising the mega theatre performance US$1.5-million The Legend of Angkor Wat. Bayon CM Organiser is a joint venture between Cambodia’s Bayon Radio & TV, Kingdom of Cambodia and the Bangkok-based CM Organiser, an event and production company. Sermkhun Kunawong is a modest, quietly-spoken man — part of the generation that survived the Khmer Rouge and the ensuing years of civil war. He says whenever he looks at Angkor Wat, he is inspired to do something to spread the rich culture and history of Angkor Wat. His shifts of projected light, sound and special effects, colour, and silhouette embraced the architecture of the temple, bringing out unexpected aspects of its beauty. He has also used Apsara dances and contemporary Khmer performances to tell the historical story of Angkor Wat. The show, which will end on Jan 20, 2008, is believed to boost tourism in Cambodia. “The show will transport you back in history during a time when this ancient wonder of the world was once the centre of a powerful empire. I hope people will come to have an understanding of pre-Angkor times through this show,” says Sermkhun. The temples of Angkor still bear the scars of the brutal regime of Khmer Rouge during which an estimated two million people died. The regime destroyed anything they regarded as decadent or culturally impure, including many buildings and temples. But the temples are being reclaimed and efforts are being made to promote the Cambodian culture by individuals like Sermkhun Kunawong. “Angkor is our identity. It is our strength and hope for better future,” says Sermkhun. “We hope that more and more people visit the great temple and our rich culture and heritage spread all across the world.” In some ways things are changing. Foreign visitors are flooding in—1.7 million tourists visited Cambodia last year and the first seven months of this year (2007) have already brought 975,349 visitors. Siem Reap arrivals have increased with 615,445 visitors while Phnom Penh and other destinations had brought in a total of 359,903 visitors. And while there are no official figures on how much each tourist spends in Cambodia, the dizzying array of luxury hotels in Siem Reap—ranging from the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor to quirky boutiques like Hotel de la Paix—testifies to the emergence of a new generation of high-end travellers. With the tourists comes money—desperately needed in a country where people are still mired in grinding poverty. In Siem Reap’s old market, where tourists gather, so too do maimed land mine victims who have been reduced to beggary. On a visit to the old market in Pokambor, I met Chang, a roadside bookseller. Her husband, Chan Vanna, a former member of the Cambodia army, lost both legs in a landmine explosion in 1993. “After he lost his legs, we turned to begging as we had no other way to support our family. It was terrible, humiliating,” remembers Chang. “But now we have decided to work and never to beg. We just hope that more tourists come here so that we get more customers,” says Chnag. Perhaps if Cambodia has to come out from the decades of despair, it needs the kind of resilience Chang has. “Sometimes we need to be tough and strong. We need to fight back”, says Chang.

Behind her the light creeps across Angkor Wat. The great temple stood in the bright sun light as it has for hundreds of years as a symbol of hope and faith of the Cambodian people, who are still trying to come to terms with the turmoil and bloodshed inflicted by the Khmer Rouge regime.

(By SYED NAZAKAT in Siem Reap/ Asia News Network)

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South Korea to fund Angkor road

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia) - South Korea has provided US$9.2 million (S$12.9 million) to Cambodia to build a new road that will circle the famed Angkor temple complex and reduce traffic in the area, officials said Monday.

The 21-kilometer road will be closed to trucks to reduce pollution, noise and vibrations that could damage the ancient ruins, said Soeung Kong, vice secretary-general of the Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the temples.

Construction will start this year and take three years to complete, he said. It will be the second road in the Angkor area funded by South Korea, connecting with existing roads to the north and northwest of the temples, said South Korean Embassy official Son Sungil. The first road extended south from the temple complex.

Tourism is a major foreign currency earner for cash-strapped Cambodia, which hosts nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists each year, mostly from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the 9th and 14th centuries.

Conservationists have long expressed concerns about tourism's impact. They say uncontrolled pumping of underground water to meet the rising demand of hotels and residents in the nearby town of Siem Reap may be destabilizing the earth beneath the temples. -- AP

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