UNESCO team checks Battambang

BATTAMBANG A UNESCO delegation conducted study of Battambang, Monday, after the government flagged its intention to apply for World Heritage status for the provincial town.

Cambodia has indicated it will file documents to support the listing of three destinations in the country; Battambang, Kratie, and Kampot.

Khmer Times quoted Tourism Minister, Thong Khon, saying Battambang was the first of the three towns to be visited by UNESCO officials.

“The study will access the heritage of the city based on its historical and cultural buildings…and look at our intentions to protect the city, while providing recommendations on how to prepare Battambang’s official filing with UNESCO.”

Battambang is Cambodia’s second most populous town and a popular tourist destination due to its ancient temples, Buddhist shrines and a bamboo railway.

Located in the east of Cambodia, Kratie is a small town on the banks of Mekong River. A stretch of the river north of town is home to a group of rare Irrawaddy dolphins. The dolphins are the town’s main tourist attraction.

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