APRIL 5TH - Souren Melikian reported in the International Herald Tribune www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/arts/melik29.php on recent art sales.
In an excerpt she states ".....
MARCH 24TH - The Cambodia Daily reported on March 25, 2008 that
a four-year plan to restore Banteay Chhmar temple was put into action under a cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and US-based Global Heritage Fund. GHF has contributed US$280,000 for 2008 and pledged to continue the funding in appropriate amount for the remaining three years. Culture Ministry Director General Ok Sophon said a full restoration of the 12th-century temple and its surrounding wall of bas reliefs will take about 20 years...
MARCH 23RD - By Fergal Quinn
and Saing Soenthrith
The Cambodia Daily
Boribor district, Kompong Chhnang -
For over a thousand years the two main towers of Kompong Preah temple have stood, unconcerned by the passage of time.
The occasional traveler came to look at the quietly impressive floral designs carved on its lintels, but for most there is little here comparable to Angkor Wat or the Preah Vihear temple...
FEBRUARY 13TH - The Cambodian government has requested that the US government extend a 2003 agreement restricting the import of Cambodian archaeological objects. The current agreement is set to expire on September 19th and covers objects dating from the 6th through the 16th centuries that are made of stone and metal.
The request to renew the agreement will go before the Cultural Property Advisory Committee made up of experts from Museums, the collector community and archaeologists...
FEBRUARY 1ST - The Mingei Museum, located in Balboa Park, was one of four California museums raided by federal authorities. They were investigating an art and antiquities smuggling ring. Investigators also raided the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, and the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
Authorities suspect that all four of these museums came into possession of pieces that were illegally smuggled out of Southeast Asia...
JANUARY 25TH - Nick Ut of the Associated Press reported that Federal agents raided a Los Angeles gallery and four museums in Southern California on Thursday, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as part of a five-year investigation into the smuggling of looted antiquities from Thailand, Myanmar, China and Native American sites...
DECEMBER 3RD - Tracey Shelton and Amrak report in the Phnom Penh Post (Nov. 30)
On a dusty deserted road edged with landmine warning signs, the ruins of the Koh Ker temples hide amidst the jungle. Away from the tourist hub of Angkor Wat, a lonely wonder through these majestic architectural dinosaurs gives the visitor a taste of exploration that is rarely so accessible...
SEPTEMBER 11TH - Siem Reap, August 2007 - Following a route along an ancient Angkor highway dating from the 12th - 13th Century, National Road No. 6 (NR6) connects Siem Reap and Kompong Thom provinces.
Recent rehabilitation activities drew special attention to the need for Cambodia to protect these unique cultural assets from increasing vehicle and heavy traffic...
SEPTEMBER 8TH - The International Khmer Ceramics Festival will be held from the 11 to 29th of December 2007 at the National Center for Khmer Ceramics Revival in Siem Reap â€" Angkor.
Conferences occurring during the IKCF are managed in association with the Center for Khmer Studies and will be held at the CKS Conference Center at Wat Damnak (www.khmerstudies.com). The IKCF will bring together academics and practioners for the benefit of economically sustainable activities in the region...
AUGUST 28TH - Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper reports the return of looting in Sophy commune, Srok O Chrou, Banteay Meanchey province, and it's even more serious than before. The digging of grave sites is happening in three villages of Sophy commune: the north, middle and south Sophy villages. The digging started on Aug.19th. The diggers/villagers explained that they dig because they have no food to eat due to lack of rain. Police families are believed to have involved in the dig...
AUGUST 21ST - Cambodia's jewel has survived a lot, but popularity may be its biggest challenge, Kerry van der Jagt writes.
ANGELINA Jolie has a lot to answer for. Ta Prohm, with its ancient stonework and massive tree roots, is now sadly known as the Tomb Raider temple. And the tour groups love it. I watch on as entire groups re-enact Lara Croft running out from the temple.
One at a time they sprint, leap and hurl themselves towards their tour guide - and his video camera...
AUGUST 14TH - Sprawling Angkor Brought Down by Overpopulation, Study Suggests
Susan Brown, writing for National Geographic News reports "Cambodia's long-lost temple complex of Angkor is the world's largest known preindustrial settlement, reveals a new radar study that found 74 new temples and more than a thousand man-made ponds at the site...
AUGUST 10TH - The South China Morning Post ran the following story on looting in Cambodia;
BEHIND THE NEWS
Nick Meo, Aug 11, 2007
When they unearthed old skeletons buried under their homes, the villagers of Sophy thought their wildest dreams of buried treasure had at last come true.
For three days until the authorities stopped them, peasant farmers abandoned their rice fields and dug frantically, unearthing piles of bones and pots and a few glass beads but, to their disappointment, no gold...
AUGUST 1ST - The Pacific Asia Travel Associations (PATA) Gold Awards recognise exceptional achievement in a variety of endeavours, bringing acclaim to the best the Asia Pacific’s travel industry has to offer. The winning projects set industry standards for excellence and innovation, serving as examples for others to follow. This year Heritage Watch was awarded the Gold Award being chosen from over 339 entries...
AUGUST 1ST - Executive Director of Tourism Cares, Mr Bruce Beckham announced $70,000 in grants to seven non-profit organizations across the globe for Winter 2007.
“These grants will assist in the preservation of these historical and natural wonders for future generations to learn from and enjoy,” Beckham said.
As part of its mission, Tourism Cares distributes grants three times a year to worthy non-profits worldwide...
JUNE 19TH - The Ministry of Interior in Cambodia is expanding the Heritage Police Unit first established to patrol the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap. The Unit will be expanded to cover an as yet unspecified number of provinces according to Lt. Col. Lim Sokharaksmey.
Heritage Watch applauds this move to protect Cambodia's heritage sites and looks forward to future cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and other government bodies.
JUNE 19TH - Heritage Watch staff paid a visit to a small village in Banteay Meanchy province to asses the damage that recent looting had caused. A local NGO had begun installing toilets in the village which resulted in the discovery of ancient burials. The villagers began excavating the burials over a period of several weeks seeking semi-precious stones and other valuables...
JUNE 19TH - Heritage Watch staff paid a visit to a small village in Banteay Meanchy province to asses the damage that recent looting had caused. A local NGO had begun installing toilets in the village which resulted in the discovery of ancient burials. The villagers began excavating the burials over a period of several weeks seeking semi-precious stones and other valuables...
JUNE 13TH - Heritage Watch is pleased to have Try Sophy and Bou Rithy join the team. Sophy and Rithy will be workng at Koh Ker on the Sustainable Tourism and Development project that is just getting underway there.
Rithy is the field manager for the Koh Ker project and Sophy has been hired as the field officer on the project
We are also very happy to welcome Cambodian/Canadian Howard Chau who has returned to Cambodian and is volunteering at Heritage Watch for the coming year.
JUNE 6TH - Rasmei Kampuchea reported the following on June 6, 2007
Ochrov, Banteay Meanchey provinceâ€"Local residents have continuously jumped on the bandwagon to dig Khmer ancient graves for treasure in Sophi Kandal village, Sophi commune, O’chrov district.
Armed officers and culture and local authority officials so far have yet to take any action [against the movement]...
JUNE 6TH - Heritage Watch is pleased to announce the hiring of new staff to run the Sustainable Tourism and Community Development Project at Koh Ker temple site.
The Sustainable Tourism and Community Development Project in Koh Ker promotes heritage protection and poverty reduction at one of Southeast Asia’s largest temple complexes, the ancient Khmer capital of Koh Ker...
JUNE 6TH - Chhuk District in Kampot Province saw hordes of local people digging a Khmer Rouge era cemetery. The site was discovered by Vietnamese military officials looking for soldiers that went Missing In Action. A local noted that some of the burials contained gold and began digging after the Vietnamese team left the site. Word soon spread and the cemetery was completely destroyed...
MAY 10TH - Inside one of the biggest antiquities-smuggling rings in history... This amazing story can be found at "The New Yorker" www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_keefe
DECEMBER 27TH - Police in Banteay Meanchey, on December 17th, 2006, arrested a Cambodian man and charged him with smuggling antiquities. The 35-year-old man was arrested in possession of 58 anceint ceramic vessels looted from Pong Duk Commune recently. Police reported that the man was getting ready to sell the pots to a dealer in Thailand. Police are currently investigating the incident and hope to bring the case to court.
DECEMBER 27TH - Freinds of Khmer Culture (FOKCI), an American-based group dedicated to promoting and preserving Cambodia's hertiage and culture have announced that it will fund a heritage training in Takeo Province. A group of young Cambodian archaeology graduates will provide training to villagers and school children at various locations in Takeo Province. Heritage Watch is pleased to be able to provide logistical support to the project in the area ravaged for years by looters...
DECEMBER 13TH - U.S. Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce presented, in October 2006, a 1.3 million baht grant under this program to Professor Dr. Rasmi Shoocongdej, Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, to preserve and manage the archaeological heritage of the Ban Rai and Tham Lod Rockshelters in Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province. The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001...
DECEMBER 9TH - HeritageWatch and the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on December 5th, 2006, signed an Memorandum of Understanding for the Heritage Friendly Tourism Campaign. The Purpose of the campaign is to promote responsible tourism and business in Cambodia and to encourage tourism to the Kingdom.
HRH Princess Rattana Devi Norodom signed the agreement on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism in the presence of H.E. Lay Prohas and senior Ministry staff...
DECEMBER 5TH - The Cambodia Daily reported on November 15th that over 400 villagers staged a protest at the proposed demolishion of a 100 year old temple in Ek Phnom district, Battambang province. Villagers were sucessful in blocking contruction workers from entering the site and alleged the builders wanted to knock down the temple to loot treasures from underneath the temple. The villagers welcome the building of a new pagoda nearby but do not want to lose their exsisting pagoda...
NOVEMBER 20TH - British Museum and EBay team up
OCTOBER 24TH - The People's Daily News reports that a Khmer company on Friday donated to the Cambodian government 90,000 U.S. dollars for conserving and protecting the ancient Bakong Temple in Siem Reap province, local newspaper said on Saturday.
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An attended the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between company owner Kuch Sinit and Bun Narit, President of the APSARA Authority, which is in charge of the management of the temples...
OCTOBER 24TH - The Bangkok Post reports that local authorities in Chumphon and Sakaew have slapped a ban on excavation work following intensified looting by villagers hunting for ancient beads at archaeological sites. In Chumphon, widespread bead searches have been reported at archaeological sites on forest and private land in Muang and Sawee districts...
OCTOBER 12TH - Australian Tourist Fined $975
OCTOBER 9TH - The Cambodia Daily reported on October 9th that a 36 year old Australian tourist, Steven Doyle, was arrested for allegedly stealing 3 large pieces of carved stone from the Angkor Wat complex. He was detained after a cleaner at his hotel discovered the thigh sized pieces of stone and alerted the authorities. He is yet to be charged however is due in court on October 10th
OCTOBER 9TH - EBay agrees to Control Sales of British Antiquities
SEPTEMBER 26TH - The Cambodia Daily reported on September 27th that a priceless, 748-year-old Buddha was stolen from the Botum Vatey pagoda early Friday morning. Chief mork Non Nget said Tuesday that the bronze Buddha was made in the year 1258. "it was so heavey at least four strong thieves must have taken it." Non Nget said he suspected the 100 kg statue would be sold in a foreign country.
SEPTEMBER 26TH - Kambol Village is located about 10km South of the capital city in Kambol District, Srok Ansnoul, Kandal Province. The village contains an ancient mound called Toul Ang that has recently been destroyed by earth moving equipment to create a pond and the fill to be used for road construction. Another mound at the site had also been leveled to make room for a warehouse, one villager said. Today the area is being industrialized making the land very valuable...
SEPTEMBER 26TH - RECENT SURVEY OF SITES UNDERTAKEN BY HERITAGE WATCH REVEALS WIDESPREAD LOOTING IN THE COUNTRY'S NORTHWEST
A recently completed survey of archaeological sites in Banteay Meanchey Province in Cambodia's northwest has revealed the scale of heritage destruction in the province. HeritageWatch excavated the site of Wat Jas, a massive Iron Age settlement covering nearly 100 hectares that was completely looted prior to the arrival of archaeologists...
SEPTEMBER 25TH - On October 1st Khmer Architecture Tours will offer a tour of historic buildings in Phnom Penh. The tours highlight the unique architecture of the capital city and focus on buildings constructed in the period following Cambodia's independence. For more information visit www.ka-tours.org.
SEPTEMBER 12TH - The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online reports that a University of Sydney conference has heard that climate change led to the fall of the ancient Cambodian city of Angkor.
The theory has been presented to an international gathering under the patronage of UNESCO.
The University of Sydney's Roland Fletcher says the famous temples were the medium-size constructions of Angkor.
From the 8th century 1,000 square kilometres of rainforest made way for the low density city...
SEPTEMBER 12TH - HeritageWatch has joined forces with the National Sea Grant Law Center, founded in 2002 to research marine laws and policies, to better understand how best to protect Cambodia's underwater cultural heritage. The importance of the country's marine archaeological resources was highlighted earlier this year, when an ancient shipwreck was discovered off the coast. This wooden ship, located 30 meters below the water's surface, contained hundreds of ancient pots and jugs...
SEPTEMBER 12TH - The quarterly journal of the Asian Arts Society of Australia, formed in 1991 to promote the knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of Asian art, recently published a plea from HW to collectors of Khmer art. In Plundering the Past: The Looting Crisis in Cambodia, Terressa Davis details the issues and circumstances surrounding the looting of Khmer antiquities...
SEPTEMBER 12TH - HeritageWatch has expanded its research in Cambodia's northwest following the excavation and survey of a badly looted site in Banteay Meanchey province. The 100 hectare site of Wat Jas was completely decimated by looters. Aerial survey indicated that looting was rampant across this part of the province and into neighbouring Odar Meanchey.
HeritageWatch proposed to survey the area around Wat Jas for archaeological remains and is so doing with the support of the United States Embassy...
AUGUST 29TH - Thousands of people have signed the petition to implore the governments of Thailand and Singapore to sign the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiitng and Preventing the Illicit Imort, Export and Transfer of Cultural Property. Many more signatures are needed and it is easy to do. Follow the link at the bottom of every page to sign today!
AUGUST 17TH - August 26, 2006- Heritage Watch in cooperation with the Preah Vihear provincial cultural department, a representative Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, and local authorites held a heritage training course in Preah Vihear province. Heritage Watch offered the training to raise awareness of the value of national cultural heritage to officers at commune level and other regional NGO employees who are working near archaeological sites...
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