PM Orders Company to Construct Cambodian[-style Angkor Nat'l Museum by Thai firm]

Sakada Chun
VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
25/03/2007

Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered a company overseeing the construction of the Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap to ensure the design follows Cambodian style.

Hun Sen's order to the construction company, which is Thai, comes following a complaint by opposition lawmaker Keo Ramy that "the style and design are purely Thai, not typical Khmer."

Cambodia and Thailand have had violent conflict in the recent past over the heritage of Angkor Wat. In 2003 students enraged by a rumor that a Thai actress had claimed the temples as Thai looted and burned the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, igniting a citywide riot.

The museum will house many Khmer relics, preserve Cambodian culture and increase revenue for the national budget, Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen defends controversial Thai firm museum project in Siem Reap

March 23, 2007
Hun Sen defends museum project in Siem Reap

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended a memorandum of understanding the government has signed with a Thai firm to build a museum in Siem Reap province, local media said on Friday.

This is an effort to help conserve Cambodia's artifacts and earn national revenues through sale of entrance tickets, Cambodian newspaper the Samleng Yuvechun Khmer quoted him as saying.

"The Kingdom of Cambodia benefits from (the agreement) that is the protection and storage of artifacts in the museum to serve national and international visitors so they can learn about the works of ancient Khmer artists, and (ticket sales) benefit national revenues," Hun Sen said in a letter dated on Wednesday.

The letter is in response to suggestions from opposition lawmaker Keo Remy that the government should not have endorsed the agreement with the Thai company on the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) principle to construct the Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap.

Keo Remy said that the floral designs beneath the name of the museum, which is currently under construction, demonstrate a purely Thai structure and style, reported another Cambodian newspaper the Kampuchea Thmey.

The museum should reflect Cambodian culture, according to the politician, who emphasized that "culture is the nation's soul and culture is the identification of a country's nationality and race."

Hun Sen argued that under the BOT agreement the Thai firm is only responsible for constructing the museum, while the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has the duty to change the whole structure's styles to meet traditional Khmer standards, to select antiques for display and to be in charge of security and administration affairs.

Cambodia's most important historical site the Angkor Wat is situated in Siem Reap.

Source: Xinhua