The Kingdom of Cambodia is home to Angkor Wat, said to be the largest religious building and one of the ancient wonders of the world. Angkor Wat and the other temples in the complex are considered among the world’s most magnificent historical monuments, in an archeological class with the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal and Machu Pichu
Nestled between rice paddies and stretched along the Siem Reap River lies the provincial capital of Siem Reap - an old colonial town, a developing tourist area, and most importantly, gateway to the temples of Angkor. If it were not for Angkorian-era temples about 15 minutes north of town, Siem Reap would likely be unknown to most of the world
Unlike so many other world class monuments, Angkor Wat, Bayon and the other ruins are as yet unspoiled by commercialism and over-development. The legend, the beauty and the magic can still be seen and felt in the moss-covered walls of these jungle temples.
This may not be the case in a couple of years. My guide told me that there were some 800,000 visitors in 2002. One morning as I came out of Bayon I saw five tourist buses discharging their passengers, mostly Japanese. Numbers are expected to increases to over a million in 2003 and to several million annually by 2004. There are now two five star hotels with more being built. It seemed to me that every piece of open land in the city was in some stage of construction. The airport is undergoing major enlargements. The highway from Thailand to Siem Reap when completed will only lead to increased visitors.
The Khmer Empire flourished and reigned over much of Southeast Asia from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Cambodia was colonized by France in the 1860s and granted independence in 1953. In 1970 a conflict began with neighboring Vietnam, during which time the Khmer Rouge played a major role. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge began a massive, radical, and brutal forced restructuring of the entire country, with the goal of making Cambodia a perfect agrarian communal society. This effort resulted in nearly 20 years of disastrous civil violence. Today the country is a constitutional monarchy, with elected government officials. Cambodians that I met seem eager to establish Cambodia as a stable, safe environment in which to live, work, and travel.
Shortly after I returned from Southeast Asia there was serious rioting and closing of borders over an apparent misstatement by a Thai actress over the ownership of Angkor. Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have always been fraught. There have been centuries of conflict and territorial disputes. Even in recent years, as bilateral ties have flourished with massive Thai economic interests in Cambodia, it has remained an uneasy relationship. For Cambodians, the temple complex at Angkor Wat is a national symbol, so any question of its control is bound to be met with horror among almost all Cambodians
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