Fresh sign of vandalism can be clearly seen on these stone sculptures along the Preah Khan Kampong Svay temple (Photo: RFA listener)14 April 2008
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media
A number of villagers from Preah Vihear province claimed that an ancient temple enclosed in a wall measuring more than one kilometer along each side, located in Sangkum Thmei district, is being vandalized by looters who hacked off the stone sculptures along the temple walls in many places to sell.
On Monday 14 April, one of the many villagers of Sangkum Thmei district who just visited the Bakan Temple which some also call the Preah Khan Kampong Svay Temple (not to be confused with the Preah Khan Temple in Siem Reap province), located in Kanseng village, Ranakse commune, called on the authority to help protect this ancient temple after he saw the large amount of vandalisms that made him concern about the fate of the temple: “They just hacked off the carvings very recently, maybe they took them to sell. Last year, when I went there, it was beautiful, but this year, it’s all different, they hacked off 5, 6, 7 places. It’s regretful that they do this, I feel pity for the loss of our cultural heritage.”
Nevertheless, Son Bun Leang, the cabinet chief of the provincial office, said that he cannot comment about this temple because it is under the administration of the provincial department of culture and fine arts: “Ask the experts at the department of culture, they are the ones who are administering this temple…”
Nouv Sokuna, the deputy director of the Preah Vihear department of culture and fine arts, rejected the information claiming that carvings in the temple were hacked off by looters. He claimed that, currently, his department is taking good care and is protecting this temple by setting up 40 guards, as well as tourist police offices, and royal academicians who are based there also. Nouv Sokuna said: “The province is paying a lot of attention, in particular the department of culture has 40 guards based there, this is one issue. Secondly, there are also tourist police officers and royal academicians staying there also.”
Local police and tourists visiting the temple said that they never saw any temple guards as the department of culture claimed.
An anonymous police officer from the Sangkum Thmei district said that at the Preah Khan Kampong Svay Temple, there are no police guards there, there are only two tourist police officers: “There are two tourist police officers also…”
A tourist from Phnom Penh who visited the temple, indicated that he did not see anybody protecting the temple, and he observed that vandalism took place and the carvings were hacked off: “I didn’t see any (temple guards). I saw fresh hacking of the stone carvings, the debris are still there. They hacked off ancient Khmer sculptures, I don’t know where they take them to, they looted everything. The temple is very beautiful. Please help intervene!”
An official of the Preah Vihear department of culture and fine arts indicated that the Bakan Temple, aka the Preah Khan Kampong Svay temple, is located in the middle of a forest, about 100-kilometer from the Preah Vihear provincial city, and there are not many tourists visiting there.
The temple was built from sandstone, and it is about the same age as the Angkor Wat temple, it could possibly be built around the 13th century.
On Monday 14 April, one of the many villagers of Sangkum Thmei district who just visited the Bakan Temple which some also call the Preah Khan Kampong Svay Temple (not to be confused with the Preah Khan Temple in Siem Reap province), located in Kanseng village, Ranakse commune, called on the authority to help protect this ancient temple after he saw the large amount of vandalisms that made him concern about the fate of the temple: “They just hacked off the carvings very recently, maybe they took them to sell. Last year, when I went there, it was beautiful, but this year, it’s all different, they hacked off 5, 6, 7 places. It’s regretful that they do this, I feel pity for the loss of our cultural heritage.”
Nevertheless, Son Bun Leang, the cabinet chief of the provincial office, said that he cannot comment about this temple because it is under the administration of the provincial department of culture and fine arts: “Ask the experts at the department of culture, they are the ones who are administering this temple…”
Nouv Sokuna, the deputy director of the Preah Vihear department of culture and fine arts, rejected the information claiming that carvings in the temple were hacked off by looters. He claimed that, currently, his department is taking good care and is protecting this temple by setting up 40 guards, as well as tourist police offices, and royal academicians who are based there also. Nouv Sokuna said: “The province is paying a lot of attention, in particular the department of culture has 40 guards based there, this is one issue. Secondly, there are also tourist police officers and royal academicians staying there also.”
Local police and tourists visiting the temple said that they never saw any temple guards as the department of culture claimed.
An anonymous police officer from the Sangkum Thmei district said that at the Preah Khan Kampong Svay Temple, there are no police guards there, there are only two tourist police officers: “There are two tourist police officers also…”
A tourist from Phnom Penh who visited the temple, indicated that he did not see anybody protecting the temple, and he observed that vandalism took place and the carvings were hacked off: “I didn’t see any (temple guards). I saw fresh hacking of the stone carvings, the debris are still there. They hacked off ancient Khmer sculptures, I don’t know where they take them to, they looted everything. The temple is very beautiful. Please help intervene!”
An official of the Preah Vihear department of culture and fine arts indicated that the Bakan Temple, aka the Preah Khan Kampong Svay temple, is located in the middle of a forest, about 100-kilometer from the Preah Vihear provincial city, and there are not many tourists visiting there.
The temple was built from sandstone, and it is about the same age as the Angkor Wat temple, it could possibly be built around the 13th century.
