Associated Press 07.07.08,
MONTREAL - An 11th century temple that sits on Cambodia's disputed border zone with Thailand was designated as a world heritage site, a UNESCO official said Monday.
Hindu-themed Preah Vihear reflects the beliefs of the kings who ruled what was then the Angkorean empire. The building is located on the top of a 1,722-foot cliff in the Dangrek Mountains, about 150 miles north of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
UNESCO spokeswoman Joanna Sullivan said that Preah Vihear was designated a heritage site at a meeting in Quebec City.
The site of the building has long been a point of contention between the two Asian neighbors.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled Preah Vihear, with its crumbling stone facade, was located a few hundred feet inside Cambodia's border.
The decision was opposed by many in Thailand. Cambodia has been trying to obtain the designation for the Khmer-style temple since 1992, but Thailand has vetoed its neighbor's previous submissions amid fears the status would include disputed land along the border.
Tensions along the border boiled over last month when protesters threatened to evict Cambodians living in the disputed territory. Cambodia responded by closing access to the temple.
The temple's select status as a world heritage site will attract tourists and grants from the United Nations' World Heritage Fund.
The stone temple is revered partly for having one of the most stunning locations of all the temples constructed during the Khmer empire - the most famous of which is Angkor Wat.
As the Khmer empire, which once encompassed parts of Thailand and Vietnam, shrank to the size of present-day Cambodia and the country was plunged into civil war, the temple fell into disrepair. Steps, walls and pillars have collapsed.
MONTREAL - An 11th century temple that sits on Cambodia's disputed border zone with Thailand was designated as a world heritage site, a UNESCO official said Monday.
Hindu-themed Preah Vihear reflects the beliefs of the kings who ruled what was then the Angkorean empire. The building is located on the top of a 1,722-foot cliff in the Dangrek Mountains, about 150 miles north of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
UNESCO spokeswoman Joanna Sullivan said that Preah Vihear was designated a heritage site at a meeting in Quebec City.
The site of the building has long been a point of contention between the two Asian neighbors.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled Preah Vihear, with its crumbling stone facade, was located a few hundred feet inside Cambodia's border.
The decision was opposed by many in Thailand. Cambodia has been trying to obtain the designation for the Khmer-style temple since 1992, but Thailand has vetoed its neighbor's previous submissions amid fears the status would include disputed land along the border.
Tensions along the border boiled over last month when protesters threatened to evict Cambodians living in the disputed territory. Cambodia responded by closing access to the temple.
The temple's select status as a world heritage site will attract tourists and grants from the United Nations' World Heritage Fund.
The stone temple is revered partly for having one of the most stunning locations of all the temples constructed during the Khmer empire - the most famous of which is Angkor Wat.
As the Khmer empire, which once encompassed parts of Thailand and Vietnam, shrank to the size of present-day Cambodia and the country was plunged into civil war, the temple fell into disrepair. Steps, walls and pillars have collapsed.
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