PHNOM PENH, Jan. 30, 2012 – The Japanese Oil,
Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) agreed with Cambodian Deputy Prime
Minister Dr. Sok An in a meeting on Monday that the historic temples of Preah
Vihear province must be protected and conserved.
H.E. Dr. Sok An, Minister in Charge of the Office of
the Council of Ministers, told Akira Suzuki, Executive Director and member of
the Board of JOGMEC, that there are more than 200 historic sites in the
province, including the Temple of Preah Vihear.
Dr. Sok An said that it is very important that such
cultural heritage be cared for so as to attract more tourists to the area.
Already there are 2,000 tourists per day visiting Preah Vihear province.
The province is also rich in mineral resources and
fertile land for agriculture, he said. The area is also a home of an endangered
bird that is attractive to tourists.
“If we can discover oil and gas, that is a very good
asset for Preah Vihear province and for Cambodia as a whole”, said Dr. Sok An,
who is also the chair of the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority.
JOGMEC signed with Cambodia in May 2010 for a joint
study on the feasibility of oil and gas exploration in Block 17.
The Deputy Prime Minister asked the company to work
with the chairperson of the Preah Vihear National Authority, H.E. Chuch Phoeun,
and concerned institutions in the province “to ensure that oil and gas
exploration will not harm or damage the cultural heritage there”.
Mr. Akira Suzuki thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for
his support and said that the company will not harm the province’s historic
temples.
“We fully understand your point that Cambodia has many
historic temples. Your heritage is our heritage. Our staff and colleagues are
fully aware of that. We obey and respect Cambodia. We do hope that there will
be no harm or damage to Cambodia’s heritage”, said Mr. Suzuki, who led a
delegation to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister.
Dr. Sok An told the Japanese delegation that Preah
Vihear was a former capital of the Khmer empire before it moved to Angkor.
Dr. Sok An said that the Royal Government has built a
museum on 175 hectares of land since 2009 as part of the country’s effort to preserve
cultural heritage and attract more tourists to the area. The Samdech Techo Hun
Sen Museum, located in Choam Khsant district of Preah Vihear, was designed by
UNESCO and Cambodian cultural experts.
The museum displays and preserves Khmer archaeological
artefacts from the Angkor period and the pre-and post-Angkorian eras. The
exhibition also shows the culture of the Kuy ethnic minority, who pioneered in
making metal arrows for defending the Khmer empire.
Dr. Sok An said that the government built an eco-village
covering 3000 hectares of land, where more than 1700 families have settled.
“The villagers live in harmony with nature, and we
also provided them with vocational training”, he said.
Earlier this month, Dr. Sok An instructed Cambodian
authorities to work with the Japan Quality Assurance Organisation (JQAO) to
achieve another ISO-14001 certification for 2012, a move that reaffirms the strong commitment
of the Royal Government of Cambodia to sustainable development at Angkor.
Cambodia expects to receive the same certificate given
the Apsara Authority, which has been following the JQAO standard since Angkor
Wat Temple received the ISO-14001 certificate in 2006 and a second time in
2009.