CAMBODIA, April 15, 2022 (Khmer Times KH): Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple, is situated on the top of a 1,720 ft. cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in Preah Vihear Province, about 248 miles north of capital Phnom Penh and 124 miles northwest of the famed Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap Province. The 11th century temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in July 2008. Kong Puthikar, director-general of the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV), said China is the co-chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and the Development of Preah Vihear (ICC-Preah Vihear) with India. Established in 2014, the ICC-Preah Vihear is the international mechanism for coordinating all assistance extended by different countries and organizations for preserving and developing the Preah Vihear.
“In the role as the co-chair, China had pledged to conserve and restore Gopura I, Gopura II and Gopura III [there are five Gopuras for Preah Vihear temple],” he said. He said China has sent its technical team to study and assess the risks and structure of the three Gopuras already. However, the actual work is not yet started due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Preah Vihear is one of Cambodia’s three heritage sites registered in the World Heritage List. The other two are the Angkor Archaeological Park in northwestern Siem Reap Province and the Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site in central Kampong Thom Province. Kong Vibol, director of the Preah Vihear Provincial Tourism Department, is confident that the Preah Vihear temple will be a popular destination for Chinese tourists after the Angkor Archaeological Park.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058039/cambodias-preah-vihear-temple-gets-chinese-assistance/