Preah Vihear museum to bring development, tourists, officials say

Written by Thet Sambath

Tuesday, 05 May 2009 Phnom Penh Post

Construction on a new museum housing artefacts from the Preah Vihear temple compex will begin next week in Chom Ksan. Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON A Cambodian soldier stands in front of the Preah Vihear temple. CONSTRUCTION on the Samdech Techo Preah Vihear Museum, near the famed temple that bears the same name, will begin in one week in the province's Chom Ksan district, where local officials anticipate that it will bring more tourists to the disputed border area. "The museum is for national and foreign researchers to study and learn about the history of Preah Vihear temple and Cambodian history," Suos Yara, an undersecretary of state at the Council of Ministers, said on Sunday. The Preah Vihear museum will house artefacts from the temple complex, as well as from other nearby temples, he added. Japanese and Cambodian donors provided 600 million riels (US$145,000) to build the museum, but more cash will be needed to finish the project, Suos Yara said. "The money is not enough, but we'll do it step-by-step. When we get more money, we'll keep working on it," he said. Chom Ksan district Deputy Governor Ros Heng said that the museum will increase the number of tourists, improving the community's quality of life. "It is a very good attraction for tourists and Cambodians. It will promote knowledge about the temples and Cambodian history as well as develop the area, improving people's lives," he said. Heng Ratana, the director of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, said his organisation is still surveying the proposed 9.5-hectare museum site, but that it will be safe for the ground breaking event Sunday. Some 473 families from Ko Muoy village, located inside the temple grounds where the museum will be built, will be among nearly 800 moved to near Sa Em, a village some 20 kilometres from the temple.