18TS.11

 

Report of the Ad hoc Expert group for sustainable development on the ANKGORICA project

Following their considerations of the ethics and processes of sustainable development, the ad hoc experts have warned against the risks created by the over-exploitation of a World Heritage site.
The Angkor site is both a sacred space and a very meaningful cultural place. A legitimate tourism exploitation of the site should not turn it into a simple background for entertainments nor into a marketing tool.
These principles are again raised, principles which on the national level are within the framework of the Royal Decree provisions dated May 28, 1994 and on the international level within the framework of standards applying to sites and monuments inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Such being the case, the ad hoc experts specifically recommended:
A refusal to grant any authorisation for the overall organisation of any entertainment which could impact at the same time a large number of prestigious monuments:
1. Bayon
2. Angkor Wat
3. Bantey Kdei
4. Neak Pean
5. Sras Srang
B. In the case of the cultural side being favoured as opposed to a purely marketing approach, and if guarantees to preserve heritage structures were to be obtained, then one could envisage the granting of authorisation for a theatre play on a large scale.
But this authorisation shall comply with the following conditions:
1. No structures (stage, amphitheatre, screen, speakers) even of light construction shall be directly mounted on the walls and shall not be rested on the stonework of the temple.
2. The amount of spectators shall depend on the security needs of the people and of the location and the preservation of the heritage integrity.
(NB: The ANGKORICA project forecasts 3 000 (three thousand) seats at the Bayon which is unacceptable and dangerous for the monument!)