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Ancient capital to be
heritage site
Windfall for oudong
landowners
Land
prices in and around Oudong, about 40-km north on National Route
Five, are set to soar with the impending declaration of the a
national heritage site.
The city, which served as the capital of Cambodia for 248 years from
1618, is to restrict development to protect its crumbling ancient
monuments form further damage.
However, the government wants to develop the area as another site
for historic tourism.
Last week, the cabinet chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Sar Kheng
approved the draft of a royal decree, which will declare 508
hectares as cultural, religious and historic preserve.
A government advisor, Pen Thol said the Ministry of Planning has
been assigned to develop a master plan to conserve the historic,
religious and environmental aspects of Oudong.
The plan will incorporate an eco-tourism zone.
The initial move will be a five-year documentation plan and a
simultaneous 10-year overlapping development plan, which will
include restoration an promotion.
Application to declare Oudong an international historic site will be
made at a Unesco meeting in Brussels next month.
The master plan is expected only to restrict modern development
within the gazetted area, with focus on future tourist facilities on
the fringes.
Outdong, where several Khmer monarchs were crowned including
King Norodom, has been vandalised by Thais and the Khmer Rouge.
While the Thais in ancient battles carted away priceless statues,
including that of Preah Ko, the sacred bull, the Khmer Rouge in
modern times went on a spree of destruction.
A sanctuary housing a nine-meter Buddha, dedicated by King Sisowath
in 1911, was blown up by the Khmer Rouge in 1977, but parts of the
monument remains.
Oudong, a centre of sugar palms, is important to Buddhists as well
as Muslims as it is the site of the old Tan San mosque, also
destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, whose torture chamber and burial
grounds for victims are also found there
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