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A new museum near Preah Vihear temple will be inaugurated on Tuesday,
10 years after the project began. The Samdech Techo Hun Sen Eco-Global
Museum consists of 11 buildings on a 177-hectare plot of land in Choam
Ksan district. It will present artefacts from the nearby temple and
related heritage sites, as well as exhibitions on local culture, flora
and fauna.
“The purpose of creating this museum during the war time with the
neighbouring country is to show the world that Cambodia does not need
war, we need only peace, to preserve the national heritage, to transfer
knowledge from the past to the public and to educate the locals to love
their national heritage and disseminate it to others,” said museum
Director Som Piseth.
Unesco provided technical support for the project, with the finances
partly supported by the Cambodian government, by funds from Prime
Minister Hun Sen and from other donors. Piseth was unable to provide
information about the project’s costs.
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Cambodian Buddhist monks walk at Preah Vihear temple, near the Thai
border in Preah Vihear province, on July 21, 2008. A new museum was set
to open near the temple on Tuesday.
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Among the challenges in building the museum was the ongoing border
conflict with Thailand until the end of 2013, a lack of equipment and
workers, and the remoteness of the museum, he said.
The museum is distinct from others not only in terms of its size but
also in what it will show, with objects on display ranging from ancient
artefacts to information about a variety of heritage locations in
Cambodia, and even exhibits on neighbouring countries. It will also
focus on local indigenous cultures, especially the Kuy ethnic group –
including their role during the Angkorian era as elephant breeders and
as armourers.
“It is really a museum which is showing the cultural diversity of
Cambodia,” Unesco representative Anne Lemaistre said. “It is the first
ethnographic museum in Cambodia.”
Its variety is part of the attraction, Piseth said, with its focus not on “one specific theme or topic”.
“We do not only focus on showing the archaeological collections but
we also show the history of other world heritage countries such as Laos,
Vietnam, the culture and the livelihoods of indigenous people, as well
as the flora and fauna in the area,” he said.
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Source - PhnomPenhPost
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