UNESCOs generaldirektør Irina Bokova advarede tirsdag mod, at grænssestridigheder mellem Cambodia og Thailand, der har kostet adskillige livet, nu også truer Preah Vihear templet, der siden 2008 har været på World Heritage listen.
PHNOM PENH, 8. February 2011: “I intend to send a mission to the area as soon as possible to assess the state of the temple,” she said.
“World Heritage sites are the heritage of all humanity and the international community has a special responsibility to safeguard them. This requires a collective effort that must be undertaken in a spirit of consultation and dialogue. Heritage should unite people and serve as an instrument of dialogue and mutual understanding and not of conflict.”
The Temple of Preah Vihear, dedicated to Shiva, is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800-metre-long axis; it dates back to the first half of the 11th century AD. The site is exceptional for the quality of its carved stone ornamentation and its architecture, adapted to the natural environment and the religious function of the temple.
