eTravel Blackboard
Domestic tourism to Preah Vihear has more than doubled since its UNESCO
World Heritage listing on July 7, despite the dispute between Thai and
Cambodian soldiers which has been centred on the temple grounds.
The presence of machine guns and rocket launchers could not deter proud
Cambodians from visiting Preah Vihear to pay their respects to the
mythic 11th-century temple and its new hoard of guardians.
"Since Thai troops entered the temple, there have been fewer foreign
tourists, but the number of locals visiting has doubled," general
director of the Preah Vihear National Authority, Pheng Sameoun told the
Post on Sunday.
According to Pheng Sameoun, the dispute has stirred such a torrent of
interest in the temple that, if the surrounding infrastructure was
developed considerably, it could come to rival the Angkor Wat temple
complex as Cambodia's leading domestic holiday destination.
Chheang Solina, 22-year-old Phnom Penh high school student, said she was
shocked last Sunday when she saw Thai and Cambodian soldiers occupying
the temple, but was reinvigorated walking through its corridors.
"When I arrived at the top of the temple, and breathed in the fresh air,
I had a feeling of great pride to be born as a Khmer," she said.
She added that she was happy because the Naga statues seemed to eat the
Thai troops.
Bad roads and high transportation costs didn't stop Seng Vireak, 19, and
his family from making the daylong trip from the capital, bearing food
and supplies to hand out.
Many locals have been witnessed making donations of money to monks and
soldiers living there.
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