A Disputed Temple and a Broken Heart

Pam — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:22:47 -0500

Start with one ancient temple crouched on a disputed border, wrap in a questionable French map, sprinkle with dodgy politicians, stir in a pending Khmer election, lather the whole mix up with some Thai political opportunism, then complete with a few hundred armed soldiers, ASEAN and a World Heritage listing. There you have it: one well-done Preah Vihear.--Unwrapped Travel

Little gets this traveler in a lather more than knowing that some World Heritage site is off limits because of politics. Yeah, I know, I'm not in Southeast Asia anymore, Toto, but I lost my heart to Cambodia and following the story of this disputed site on the Thai/Cambodian border breaks my heart 17 ways on a daily basis.

Global Voices on line has an extensive roundup of bloggers from both sides of the border. Apparently, the dispute over these ancient sites isn't new - Global Voices includes a discussion of a call in 2003 for the "return" of Angkor Wat to Thailand. The Khmer people are unsurprisingly put out by this. There are also ugly racist undertones that run from Khmer nationalism to Thai superiority.

Alison in Cambodia also has a terrific post that provides historical background to the dispute and discusses the tie of the ancient temple to Khmer identity. Travel Blackboard has a lot of descriptive language about the site - what's this about wild elephants? - calling it "near to heaven."

Let's cut to the chase, you want to see the place, right? The photos above are from blosko1's photostream and magu_kl.These make me want to book my ticket to Bangkok - no - Phnom Penh - no, where now? How do I get to visit this place? Oh, I don't, dammit, not until the dispute is settled.

I realize this makes me sound sort of vapid. "Quit fighting, I want to see!" But when I think about the actual dispute and I think about the shocking difference between Thailand and Cambodia, I can't help but come down on the Khmer side of the equation. My reasons aren't based in logic, it's that my heart cracks open every time I think about the tragic suffereing of the Khmer people. They have so little, I think, and they are so kind and oh, give them a break, Thailand? Can you not be magnanimous about this? I know, this is faulty politics and no way to settle a dispute, but there has got to be a better way. I'm overly simplistic. I think, hey, let the line on the map put the temple in Cambodia, but collaborate on the effective management of the site. Imagine the revenue it will bring to both countries, and imagine a future working graciously with your neighbors. On the Cambodian side,the Angkor cosmology is unbelievably complicated. I remember something about a serpent churning a mountain on the back of turtle in a sea of milk. A people who can develop such a complicated spirtualism can surely solve a pesky little border dispute.

I know, I know, I'm talking nonsense. But I remember Bamiyan - I still cry when I see those pictures. Extremism and heritage sites are a bad combination. I really hope they come to a compromise soon and that both nations refocus on protecting the wonder that is Preah Vihear.

Pam blogs about travel and other adventures at Nerd's Eye View. And hey! Join the discussion about travelblogging in the new Nerd's Eye View Forum!

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A Disputed Temple and a Broken Heart