Meeting on Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage Wrapped Up

The Asia-Pacific regional meeting on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage held in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, some 270 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh capital city, was wrapped up on Tuesday.

The two-day meeting, organized by Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts with the support of UNESCO Office in Phnom Penh, was attended by experts from Asia-Pacific regional countries including Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, the U.S., Vietnam and the Netherlands as well as relevant national and international institutions.

Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts H.E. Khim Sarith said it was a very important meeting to share and exchange ideas, knowledge and experiences and find measures to cope with the increasing illegal trafficking and business of cultural heritage, particularly underwater cultural heritage.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Cambodia’s Minister of Culture and Fine Arts H.E. Him Chhem considered the meeting as a major contributing effort to jointly preserve and protect the world underwater heritage.

Cambodia ratified the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in June 2006.

By CHEA Vannak - AKP