The Organization

Cambodia’s great archaeological heritage is being decimated by widespread looting. This alarming destruction prompted a concerned group of international scholars to form Heritage Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving Cambodia’s cultural legacy. Heritage Watch has been working since 2003 to raise awareness of looting and its consequences and to research the trade of illicit Cambodian antiquities.

Heritage Watch was founded by archaeologist Dougald O'Reilly following the rampant looting of Phum Snay, an immense Iron Age burial ground in Cambodia’s northwest. After its discovery in 1999, Phum Snay was decimated by looters seeking its rich grave offerings—beautiful ceramics, iron weapons and gold and bronze jewelry. Dr. O’Reilly led rescue excavations at the site, but 90% of it was already lost. Realizing that an entire chapter of Cambodia’s history was disappearing, he made it his mission to promote the protection of the country’s heritage. To better achieve this goal, he founded Heritage Watch.

What began as a one-man crusade has since become a thriving organization with a high regional profile. Heritage Watch’s Board of Directors includes international leaders in the field of Southeast Asian studies. The organization has frequently been featured in both the national and the international media, including The London Times, The Associated Press, The BBC, and in a documentary on the U.S. Public Broadcasting Station. It has twice been the recipient of the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Heritage, and has also received awards from UNESCO, Friends of Khmer Culture, Lonely Planet Publications, and number private organizations and donors.

In its first few years of operations, Heritage Watch has accomplished a great deal. With generous funding from the U.S. Department of State, it launched a national public awareness campaign targeting both those who loot and buy antiquities. Heritage Watch attacked the supply end of the trade through informative radio and television commercials, educational comic books, and community workshops for villagers in heavily looted ares. Tourists were informed about the negative consequences of buying looted art through public exhibits, airport kiosks, and public lectures.

But education can only go so far—immediate action is also needed. Early in 2006, Heritage Watch began rescue excavations at Wat Jas, an Iron Age cemetery in northwestern Cambodia that was increasingly targeted by looters. In addition to this, Heritage Watch is documented threatened sites across the country, recording at-risk objects in case they are stolen in the future. And since looting cannot be combated until it is better understood, the organization is actively monitoring the trade in Cambodian antiquities, through auction house sales and the internet.

Heritage Watch has already initiated a number of important projects, and numerous others are planned for the future. At the ancient temple complex of Koh Ker, Heritage Watch aims to start an innovative project combining preservation with sustainable tourism development. Also, Heritage Watch will further its educational efforts with If The Stones Could Speak, a storybook promoting heritage preservation that will be a key part of a planned youth education program. A public awareness campaign will petition the governments of Singapore and Thailand to meet the international standard for regulating the antiquities trade by signing the 1970 UNESCO Convention.