Duty of care at new heritage site

KAMPONG THOM Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on the international committee responsible for preserving Angkor Wat to extend its cover to include the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site.

Khmer Times quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen saying the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) should broaden its remit to take care of the new world heritage site.

He said he had discussed the issue with Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeung Sakona and informed the King of the proposal.

Credit UNESCO

“We aim to extend the scope of ICC-Angkor, which is co-chaired by France and Japan. We will continue discussions with UNESCO, France and Japan.”

The Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site in Kampong Thom province was listed as a World Heritage Site of UNESCO earlier this month.

The archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk, “the temple in the richness of the forest” in the Khmer language, has been identified as Ishanapura, the capital of the Chenla Empire that flourished in the late sixth and early seventh centuries CE.

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