តើខ្មែរល្ងង់ដល់ម្លឹង?

ស្រឡាញ់ តែអាណិតអង្គរ

អង្គរបវររស់ក្នុងចិត្តខ្ញុំ ឆ្លាក់ជាប់កាយម៉ុំឆ្លាក់ជាប់ដួងចិត្ត

ឆ្លាក់ជាប់ព្រលឹងរស់ដូចជីវិត តែសែនអាណិតអង្គរយួនត្រួត។

ជ័យោ! មោទនភាពជាតិស្ម៊ែរក្រោមការដឹកនាំរបស់សំដាច់ម៍ ហ៊ុន សែន

សូមមើលចុះគ្រាន់តែផ្លូវជំវិញអង្គរប៉ុន្មានគីឡូម៉ែត្រសោះ មានស្ថានភាពបែបនេះ។ តើថវិការ ចំណូលពីការលក់សំបុត្ររាប់រយលានដុល្លាមួយឆ្នាំៗ បាត់ទៅណា?ចង់ដឹងសូម សួស្ម៊ែរ សុខ គង់ទៅដឹងថាលុយគេយកទៅណាហើយ។ នេះហើយជាមោទនភាព ជាតិខ្មែរ អ្នកសាងអង្គរ និងអង្គរកេរ្តិ៍ពីដូនតា ជាព្រលឹងខ្មែរ តែពេលនេះត្រូវយួន ជាអ្នកាន់កាប់ យកលុយចាយលេង។ នាំគ្មាសប្បាយនឹងរបបហ៊ុន សែន ទៀតចុះ។ សូមអ្នកមានមោទនភាពនឹងសំដាច់ម៍ហ៊ុន សែន មកចូលរួមអបអរផង!

(រូបថត៖ ស.រ)

In Cambodia, once-untouchable treasures await

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. (Heng Sinith / Associated Press)

 

A surge of tourism increases access not just to well-known sites such as Angkor but also temples in regions once off-limits due to skirmishes.

By Susan Spano
Special to the Los Angeles Times
December 26, 2010

Two decades ago, the great ruined temple complex at Angkor in central Cambodia was an uncrowded dream destination. But as the country emerged from decades of poverty and suffering, mass tourism arrived at the UNESCO World Heritage Site. With it came sightseers by the busload and the transformation of the hamlet of Siem Reap at Angkor’s threshold — an amiable but ballooning tourist trap with a new international airport, a branch of the Cambodian national museum, a trendy restaurant row and an abundance of hotels, including high-enders Raffles and Sofitel.

If the speed of transformation is any indication, 2011 is the time to visit the diminutive Southeast Asian country lodged between Thailand and Vietnam, not just to take advantage of Siem Reap’s amenities but to go beyond Angkor to wonders still lost in the Cambodian jungle.

“Chheam Angkor” a Poem in Khmer by Yim Guechsè

The Khmer Empire – Cambodia’s Medieval Splendor 2009 Animation

ASIA GETS ITS OWN LONELY PLANET MAG

Originally posted at: The Bangkok Bugle

Singapore-based Regent Media has partnered with BBC Magazines to launch Lonely Planet Magazine, a pan-Asian English edition of the monthly travel title.

The first edition, published this month, has a cover price of S$7.50 (€4.35) and the initial print run is 80,000. The Asian edition of Lonely Planet Magazine is reported to be on sale in selected territories throughout Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao and Shanghai. It has not appeared in Thailand at present.

Regent Media is no stranger to BBC magazines. Last year it began publishing a similar English language Asian regional edition of BBC Knowledge Magazine. That title has been appearing in Thailand since its debut nine months ago.

NOTE: This really a very good initiative which will be able to promote more cooperations among Asean nations and to attract more tourists to the region. 

A Group of Arrogant Siam Places Angkor Wat Pic in front of Toilet

Angkor Wat

Chourn Rithy, President of Trade Union for Sofitel Royal Angkor, told Dap-News that some Cambodian staff working at the hotel disputed with a group of arrogant Thais who stayed at  the hotel for placing Angkor Wat temple in front of toilet and step on it. Those arrogant Thais said they placed it in order to welcome guests, but not to insult on Cambodian heritage. The dispute happened on 16 May 2010 at 10am and later on they removed the Angkor Wat picture away  after a heat of argument. According to report, those arrogant Thais are still staying at the hotel now. Read new in Khmer here.

NOTE: iF those arrogant Thais claimed that to place Angkor Wat picture in fornt of toilet doesn’t mean an insult on Angkor Wat or Cambodians, but just a sign of welcoming guests, then let’s place the picture of Thai King Bhumibol Adoljadej in front of our toilet in order to welcome our guests, too. 

We still remember last year that a Thai man was arrested and jailed in Banteaymean Chey for insulting Angkor Wat temple by drawing Angkor Wat temple in front of his toilet and step on it daily. Read it here. With this, I hope Cambodian authority will deal with those arrogant Thais accordingly. 

Sok An to Explain to Assembly Session on Angkor Wat Light Project

This is one of the controversial new lights sits inside crevice in Angkor Wat.

Today is the day that Sok An answers the question regarding to the Angkor Wat light project launched by Apsara Authority in order to attract more tourists to the spot in the wake of the global economic crisis.

Angkor Wat Light or Lie?

These few weeks the most disturbing and untolerable news that has stirred up my life day and night is concerning the Angkor Wat light decoration aiming at attracting more tourists to the country during the global economic crisis initiated by Apsara Authority.

Can this equipped light attaract more tourists to Angkor Wat and Cambodia as a whole while a leader of a country is incompetent to lead a country with transparency,  security, stability, human right respects, and yet committing corruption and dependent on alm and submitting to neigboring countries? 

Angkor Wat is Our Life!

 

These few days I feel deeply hurt to read the news publishing about the annual income from ticket sales of the most wonder temple on earth of our priceless Angkor Wat reported by Apsara Authority.  Below is the excerpt from the Cambodia Daily which posted on KI-Media.

 

 ANGKOR Wat ticket sales dropped almost 10 percent in 2008, said Bun Narith, deputy director of Apsara Authority, the government institute that handles revenue from the attraction, blaming a tourism downturn despite criticism that figures have been manipulated due to corruption.

 

Revenue from ticket sales dropped to about US$30 million last year from roughly $32 million in 2007, he added. However, uncertainty surrounds the data given that Apsara and tycoon Sok Kong’s Sokimex, which owns Sokha Hotels – the organisations that receive revenue from Angkor Wat – have refused to release detailed, concrete figures, critics say.

 

Explaining the situation, Bun Narith told the Post: “I have not received the exact figures from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Sokimex,” he said, refusing to provide details on their revenue-sharing agreement. Sok Kong was unavailable Tuesday, his assistant Seng Chanthy said, adding that the person responsible for Angkor Wat ticketing was “on holiday”.

 

To my question, how can the revenue be dropped when the tourist number in the country has been increasing? It is absolutely illogical. It is absolutely corruption and the crime which are unforgivable. And those who are responsible for this must be punished accordingly.

 

Who should be punished for this crime? Well, it is he who is the head of the Cambodian government who solely authorizes the Sokimex to run this management for a 10-year concession on revenue collection since 1999 without transparent, free and fair bid and the approval of the National Assembly.

 

Why Cambodian government is not capable to manage such a project? What is the use of creating Ministry of Tourism and Apsara Authority if they can’t even administrate the ticket sale management to Angkor Wat? How can we trust the Cambodian leader to rule the country competently and responsibly for the sake of the nation as reflected by the Angkor Wat management? Shall we allow such a leader to represent or lead us in the future?

 

But the problem is beyond the above mention because our precious Angkor Wat should deserve better responsibility, care, and respect as her value is above all other heritages in our nation or even possibly in the world.

 

My beloved countrymen, you all know that our precious Angkor Wat was built by our Khmer ancestors under the leadership of one of our greatest Kings ever born Preah Bat Suryavarman II in the 12^th century which even the world can’t help admiring this wonderful and heavenly master-architecture. This work becomes the pride of all humankind in the world and especially this heritage of our beloved Angkor Wat has become the pride, the soul, the spirit, and the life of our people and the nation from generation to generation. We live for her -Angkor Wat. 

 

In this sense, Angkor Wat is our life. She is our identity. She stands for our solidarity, unity, value, dignity, pride, struggle, civilization, and ideology as a nation –the Khmer, and we must protect her from any harm or any improper act. And therefore, she must be managed with the highest respect and care. Furthermore, any interest comes from her priceless status must be managed by our beloved people and for the sake of our beloved people and the nation.  This means that whoever who consciously has the Khmer blood in his or her own body should deserve the equal rights to bid for Angkor Wat management or other business around her. Or the best, she must monopolistically be under the management of the Cambodian government. But not those who are pure foreigners like Sok Kong. He doesn’t deserve the rights to monopolize our national identity’s heritage. Please ask yourself as a Khmer that why Sok Kong has the privilege to benefit from our most symbolic heritage while we are the real owner don’t? Constitutionally, he, Sok Kong, can only benefit from the pleasantness of the untouchable beauty and the pride of our precious Angkor Wat like other people from other nations around the world.     

 

Sok Kong the President of Sokimex

 

Please my beloved countrymen read the below excerpt again.

Khmer-language daily Koh Santepheap reported on January 13 that the first $3 million in Angkor Wat revenue is split 50-50 between Sokimex and Apsara. Of additional revenue, 15 percent goes to restoration and development at Angkor, 68 percent to Apsara’s operating costs and 17 percent to Sokimex.

 

And this is the reaction from MP Son Chhay who reasonably questions the management of the ticket sale.

SRP MP Son Chhay reacted to Bun Narith’s claims: “Each year, the ticket sale revenue brings in at least $60 million. I am asking the government to investigate this problem. The daily reports (of revenue income) are not published; I wish to be able to look at them.” Son Chhay indicated also that he went to the spot on several occasions. “Since 2005, the year when the private Sokha Hotel company [owned by Sok Kong, a crony of Hun Sen] was involved in the management of ticket sales, no visible improvement of the site, both in terms of equipments and service, can be seen. The government must manage this source of revenue on its own,” Son Chhay said on the National Assembly floor.

 

It clearly shows that, “He makes a cake without any flour.” He personally earns millions of US dollar annually from our national symbolic heritage without doing anything but just install a post and sells the tickets.  Do you all agree with this my beloved people as a Khmer? Please tell me!

 

To my national consciousness, the concession rights given to Sokimex of Sok Kong are the act of disrespect and ungratefulness towards our ancestor and Greatest Kings, and undermine our national pride and identity. And therefore justice must be brought against this act of crime.

 

To know about my consciousness about our Priceless Angkor Wat please go to MY BOOK and click on the drafted book title “The Son of the Empire.”