Prosecutor Nuon San visiting the discovered temples (All photos: Samnang, Koh Santepheap)
23 December 2009
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
KI-Media Note: Cambodian soldiers are willing to sacrifice their lives to defend the Preah Vihear temple from the Siamese, and yet, the Hun Xen's government land concessions allow these evil and criminal private companies to destroy our cultural heritage. This is outrageous!Siem Reap – Angkanh villagers from Svay Leu commune and a number of people who love ancient artifacts have called on experts from the Apsara Authority and International heritage organizations to preserve and develop a number of ancient temples that are currently being threatened because they are spread in wooden areas on land concession granted to the Kreb rubber plantation company.
Angkanh villagers indicated that five temples dating several centuries old are spread in deep forest that the government granted as land concession to a rubber plantation company. Some of the five temples have been destroyed through land clearing last year. The villagers are very concerned that land clearing will continue and they requested that the Apsara Authority and international organizations in charge of conservation of national heritage to help preserve the remaining temples for the sake of humanity.
Sao Sam Ol, a villager from Angkanh indicated that the five temples located on the Kreb land concession include: (1) Prasat Trung, (2) Prasat Ahen, (3) Prasat Mor Thav, (4) Prasat Sangker Singh and (5) Prasat Tukh Preah. The fifth temple was completely destroyed by the Kreb rubber plantation in 2007. The temple used to be surrounded by a stone fence that was 2 to 3-meter high. Currently, all that remains from this temple are the foundations and a pile of stone rubbles. This situation is extremely regretful.
Sao Som Ol added that the villagers love and hold their belief in these ancient temples, and what the villagers want to see is the clearing of small trees from the surrounding area of the temples and the construction of a road leading to each of these temples so that they can be worshipped.
Cambodia is the single country whose flag bear the image of an ancient temple [Angkor Wat] that is revered by all Cambodians, and that shows to the world that the Khmer race is a famous race that built thousands of temples on this golden land. The Khmer people also maintain a proud and long-lasting culture in the world, therefore, these temples represent the soul of our nation, and these temples demand that we pay special attention to them, in particular for their preservation as heritage and cultural artifacts for humanity.
Reth Samuth, a former popular cultural radio program presenter in the region and a tourist guide, indicated that ancient temples represent the soul of our national culture and no price can be placed on them, therefore the destruction of our ancestors’ temples is tantamount to our own destruction, i.e. an extremely bad misdeed that must be avoided at all cost.
Nuon San, the prosecutor of the Siem Reap-Banteay Meanchey provinces, who traveled to these temples by foot and by land clearing through hand machetes, visited 2 temples – Prasat Sangker Singh and Prasat Ahen – on Saturday 21 December 2009. He said: “I am very saddened when I saw these valuable temples, which are the heritage of our Cambodian ancestors, hidden deep in the forest and falling into ruins like this.”
He said that the intricate stone carvings attached to the rock pieces of the temple that fell to the ground seem to beg us to lift them up and put them back in place, following their long battle with nature and those ignorant artifact looters who take them to sell to foreigners during wartime.
Because of his love and desire to preserve valuable national cultural artifacts, Nuon San called on the organizations involved in the preservation of national heritage, and, in particular, the Apasara Authority and international heritage organizations to help preserve these temples also.
Even if only the foundations are all that remain, he asked that there should be no further land clearing and destruction of these temples anymore. Even if the temples are located on concession lands for a company, the perimeter of these temples must be preserved because these temples represent our valuable Khmer culture.
Hun Narith, the deputy director of the Apsara Authority, recognized that there was indeed forest clearing in the temple areas for rubber plantation. However, after the Apsara Authority learnt about these temples, the company was prevented from further land clearing near these temples. Currently, the Apsara Authority has already planted perimeter delimitation areas. The finding of these hidden temples is indeed an incredible finding of cultural treasures.
