Spectacular aerial view of Preah Vihear temple.Sunday, February 06, 2011
For immediate release
Asian News International/DailyIndia.com
Nevada (US), Feb 06: Hindus have asked that landmark Preah Vihear Hindu temple complex, cause of border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, should be turned over to United Nations (UN) control.
Notable Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that 11th century Preah Vihar was a world heritage and it was moral duty of the world to keep it preserved and intact for the coming generations.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, argued that this Lord Shiva temple was sacred to the Hindus of the world and reported damage caused by recent military crossfire could be hurtful to the devotees.
Rajan Zed pointed out that frequent clashes between Cambodia and Thailand because of long-running feud might further damage the already fragile temple. UN presence would help in protecting the sacred site, development and upkeep of the area, allowing easy access and provision of needed facilities to devotees and other visitors, bringing more economic development and investment in the region, clearing of reported area landmines and saving the military and civilian lives which were usually lost in conflicts.
Known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, this remote temple at the border between Thailand and Cambodia, which has reportedly not been clearly demarcated, has been a source of tension for generations. Preah Vihear was said to even predate Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex by about 100 years and its stunning setting made it finest of all the ruins left from the mighty Khmer civilization, Zed added.
Rajan Zed further said that world could not let this sacred site dedicated to Lord Shiva (situated where Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia touched Sisaket province of eastern Thailand) be further damaged to advance political agendas of some as there appeared to be a no clear solution to settle the long-standing territorial dispute surrounding the temple, which was already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and whose history could be traced to 9th century when the hermitage was founded.
Moreover, Temple of Preah Vihear, an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture mostly created by Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II, was a unique architectural complex of a series of sanctuaries and was said to be exceptional for the quality of its architecture and carved stone ornamentation. It was reportedly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in his manifestations as Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara. It was also said to be marking representation of sacred Mount Meru, the abode of the gods, and showing a depiction of Churning of the Ocean, a Hindu scriptural episode, Zed indicated.
5 comments:
Yes, did you know that it also belong to Cambodia too? Stop calling other name beside temple preah vihear! And did you feel how Khmer feel when the bullet hit it??? Khmer fight to save our icon, culture, land, history... While you said we insulting Hindus for going to war!!! We feel beyond insulting to the point of killing that stupid being( Thai )!!!!
this time, something is a bit strange. there is news to support the decease victims of the fighting. Kohsantepheap did report a donation by Nam Tom to 5 wounded soldiers and heritage polices, but there is no mention of the death.
All these idiots seem very clueless about the real ownership of prea vihear.Take some time and do some research befor you say somthing. so it doesn't make you look to much like a moron.
It is a good proposal if it could be done. The temple will always belong to Cambodia, no one can take it from Cambodia. So, if the UN can take charge to safeguard and maintain it under Cambodia's sovereignty as the owner of the temple, it can bring more fund to help repair and conserve the temple, but also can help to stop and deter Thailand's military activities near the temple. Also, the UN will know more about the 1907 treaty, the 1908 maps and the 1962 verdict. When the world is well informed about the history and ownership of Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia has a very good chance of getting ownership of the so-called "disputed territory" claimed by Thailand.
These outsiders knowledge on Preah Vihear is base on what they read in the newspaper and watched on TV, which are the by-product of facts obtained from Thailand. Much of these media teach very little about the true historical facts about Preah Vihear temple. Yes, Preah Vihear is a Hindu temple, but it doesn't mean it's unclear whose the temple belongs to. 1962's ICJ decision was perfectly correct. Cambodia is a rightful owner of the temple. I'm glad they saw the truth behind their decision.
Preah Vihear was built by Khmer(Cambodian), therefore, it's always part of Cambodia. Since the temple located inside Cambodia, it only make much more sense of who is the true owner of this temple. The true name of this temple is PREAH VIHEAR, not Kao Pra Viharn by Thailand. Thailand is known for renaming whatever it had stolen to erase and confuse the true history behind it. Heck...Siem(Siam)was changed to Thai(Tai)in 1939 or Thailand(land of the Tai ethinic of Yunnan province of southern China). Preah Vihear was built by Khmer, many centuries before the founding kingdom of Siem(Siam)or Thailand.
There was no disputed land around the temple when the ICJ rewarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia in 1962. The legitimate border between Siem(Thailand)and Cambodia is the Siemese-Franco border agreement in 1907. So in actuality, the disputed land was illegally stolen from Cambodia by Thailand to make a reason to re-take Preah Vihear. Without disputed land, Thailand wouldn't have a chance.
I hope many centuries into the future that Phear Vihear is Khmer property, and UN is a protector, not the owner. Please help spread this clarification.
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