[Article] Historian advocates joint control of border heritage sites.

January 23, 2011 | The Nation by Supalak Ganjanakhundee

Countries in the Mekong River basin and the Dangrek Mountain range should consider creating a trans-boundary world heritage site of cultural and natural resources to end their border conflicts, prominent historian Charnvit Kasetsiri proposed over the weekend.
Speaking at a seminar "Our Boundaries, Our Asean Neighbours" on Friday, Charnvit said countries in the region had a lot of cultural and natural heritage left by ancestors centuries ago, some of which were sources of conflict.
Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear for half a century. The proposal by Cambodia to list the ruined temple as a World Heritage site in 2008 fuelled conflict between the neighbouring countries.
A group of Thai nationalists want the government to block Cambodia's attempt to run Preah Vihear and kick a Khmer community out of the area adjacent to the temple.
A ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 found that Preah Vihear was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia.
Bangkok said it respected the court's ruling but argued that the temple's vicinity and even the land where the temple sits belongs to Thailand.
Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site in 2008 but the Thai government, with strong support from nationalist groups, opposed its management plan. The two countries remain in conflict and seem to have no way to settle their differences.
Charnvit proposed what he is calling a "Mixed Cultural and Natural Mekong-Dangrek World Heritage" as a model to end the conflict.
There were some examples in the world, he said, where trans-border World Heritage sites had been possible, citing the Iguazu waterfalls - the world's largest - which are situated on the border of Argentina and Brazil.

[...Read the full article here...]

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[Call for papers] "Transforming Cambodia Studies", Siem Reap, jul 2011

CALL FOR PAPERS
The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) announces a joint conference :

"Transforming Cambodia Studies : Social Change and Cultural Transitions since 1979"
Siem Reap, Cambodia
7-9 July 2011

in collaboration with :
The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University,
The Center for Southeast Asia Studies, UC Berkeley & the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UCLA
The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Asian American & Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley

Since 1979 Cambodians in Cambodia and in Cambodian communities overseas have had to contend with multiple transitions ; from war to peace, from one political-economic system to another and from virtual diplomatic isolation to regional and global re-integration. Inquiry into the outcomes and expressions of these transitions is still ongoing and uncertain. This conference aims to focus attention on new scholarly inquiry into the nature and impact of these transitions as they affect power relations, communal organization, identity formations and rural-urban as well as transnational migrations.  We encourage contributions from the fields of : History – Political Science – Sociology – Human Geography – Ethnic Studies – Migration Studies – Anthropology – Religious Studies – Visual and Performing Arts.

Abstracts (250 words maximum) should be sent to conference[at]khmerstudies.org no later than : 28 February 2011.

Please include your name, institutional affiliation, and contact address. In reviewing abstracts for selection, the conference committee will give strong preference to papers that intelligently and specifically address the overarching theme of transitions and transformations.  We especially welcome offers of papers from graduate students and younger scholars.
Scholars will be informed of acceptance by early April.

> > More informations.

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[Proposition d'emploi] Chargé(e) de Projets Secteur privé - AFD/Cambodge

Réf. 10-VIA-CAM-413 - 22/12/2010

Type de contrat : VI-VCAT
Durée : 1 an renouvelable
Filière/Métier : Ingénierie financière
Lieu : Agence de Phnom Penh (Cambodge)

Descriptif de la mission :

ÉLIGIBILITÉ : Sont éligibles à cette annonce les candidats ressortissants de l'Union Européenne et ayant moins de 29 ans.

Sous l’autorité du directeur de l’agence et du chargé de mission, le(a) volontaire participera à l’instruction et au suivi de la mise en œuvre des projets non souverains (sans garantie de l’Etat cambodgien) et d'appui au secteur privé suivants :
- Centre de formation professionnelle textile
- Formation professionnelle tourisme
- Ligne de crédit pour les riziers
- Garantie ARIZ
- Prospection sur autres projets, notamment via le fond d’étude et de renforcement des capacités : lignes de crédit, support d’associations professionnelles, prêts étudiants…

Les activités suivantes seront confiées au volontaire :
- Développement et suivi du portefeuille de l’agence sur les activités de crédit et de garantie aux banques et aux entreprises publiques et privées cambodgiennes ;
- Identification et analyse des données financières et économiques des projets de développement ;
- Analyse d’études de faisabilité et de demandes de financement ;
- Suivi des prêts à la fois opérationnel (analyse financière et qualitative périodique de la contrepartie, contrôle de décaissements), prudentiel (fiches d’évaluation des risques) ;
- Organisation de réunions et rédaction des comptes-rendus ;
- Organisation et suivi des missions des chefs de projet en charge des dossiers : compréhension des objectifs, identification des interlocuteurs, établissement du calendrier de rendez-vous, suivi du bon déroulement de l’ensemble de la mission, y compris sa logistique ;
- Coordination avec les autres bailleurs de fonds, impliqués dans les secteurs privé (private sector group) et commerce (approche sectorielle).

Descriptif du profil demandé

<< Consulter l'annonce sur le site de l'AFD et/ou répondre à l'offre >>

Prolongation candidatures bourses doctorales et post-doctorales INALCO/CEK Cambodge.

INALCO - CEK-
Bourses d’études au Cambodge (2011-2012)
Un programme supporté par la Florence Gould Foundation
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Date limite de soumission des candidatures : reportée au 09 décembre 2010

Ce programme de bourses d’études a pour objet le développement des connaissances sur la société, la culture et l’histoire du Cambodge. Il vise à permettre à des étudiants-chercheurs français de niveau doctoral et post-doctoral, de pouvoir se rendre au Cambodge. Ce programme a également pour objectif d’aider les candidats à s’intégrer au sein de la communauté scientifique internationale et cambodgienne travaillant sur le Cambodge. Les bourses doivent couvrir les frais de voyage et de séjour d’étude au Cambodge. Les candidats sélectionnés devront prendre contact avec le CEK au Cambodge.

Les candidatures pour mener des recherches au Cambodge s’appliquent aux catégories suivantes :
– Bourses de recherche doctorale. Elles s’adressent aux chercheurs doctorants. Elles doivent leur permettre de mener à bien leurs recherches de terrain nécessaires à l’accomplissement de leur thèse doctorale ainsi que d’acquérir une formation linguistique en khmer. Les candidats doivent être de nationalité française. Les bourses de recherche doctorales sont conçues pour des périodes courtes et longues pouvant aller jusqu’à 11 mois au plus.
– Bourses de recherche post-doctorale. Elles s’adressent aux candidats de nationalité française déjà titulaires d’un doctorat ou de son équivalent. Elles concernent les chercheurs spécialisés dans les études khmères ou ceux souhaitant élargir leur champ d’investigation à l’étude du Cambodge. Les bourses de recherche post-doctorale couvrent des périodes courtes et longues pouvant aller jusqu’à 11 mois au plus.

Télécharger le formulaire d'inscription :  Gould_Applifgsenior 2010
Pour plus d’information, contacter : fellowships[at]khmerstudies.org ou msullivan[at]khmerstudies.org

[Article] Abhisit sets out Thai position on temple.

Abhisit: Opposes development

22/11/2010 | Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has clearly told his Cambodian counterpart that Thailand opposes any attempt to develop disputed territory adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Mr Abhisit said he held bilateral talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week on the sidelines of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy meeting in Phnom Penh.
Mr Abhisit said during his weekly talk show yesterday morning that it was the first time the two leaders had seriously discussed issues relating to the proposed development near the temple as part of the Preah Vihear World Heritage project.
He told Hun Sen that Thailand considered the area to be Thai territory but the World Heritage listing in 2008 had led to a proposal for Cambodia to manage the area "and that is unacceptable to us".

[ ... Read the full article here ... ]

[Actualités] Bousculade tragique au Cambodge : près de 380 morts.

23 novembre 2010 | Ouest-france.fr | Anne-Laure PORÉE

Près de 380 personnes ont été tuées, hier soir, lors d'un mouvement de panique sur un pont de la capitale.

Phnom Penh. De notre correspondante

La Fête des eaux battait son plein pour le troisième jour d'affilée, hier, au Cambodge. Cet événement draine vers la capitale, Phnom Penh, près de trois millions de personnes qui assistent aux traditionnelles courses de pirogues sur le Mékong.

C'est lors de ces festivités, vers 23 h, que s'est produite une immense bousculade. Le bilan, encore provisoire, n'a cessé de s'alourdir au fil des heures. Selon le porte-parole du gouvernement, Khieu Kanharith, 378 personnes ont été tuées et 755 blessées, dont une majorité de femmes.

Le mouvement de panique est survenu sur un pont conduisant à une petite île du fleuve Mékong. Il aurait été provoqué par une rumeur, dans la foule, d'un risque d'effondrement de l'ouvrage. De nombreuses victimes ont péri écrasées ou sont tombées dans l'eau. La majorité était des femmes qui venaient d'assister à un concert et rentraient chez elles.

Des témoins décrivent la sortie du pont comme une scène de guerre : les cadavres étaient empilés les uns sur les autres. Certains appelaient désespérément des proches dont ils n'avaient plus de nouvelles.

Les autorités ont réagi très rapidement et mis en place un cordon sanitaire dans Phnom Penh pour évacuer les morts et les blessés. Pendant la nuit, la capitale résonnait encore des sirènes d'ambulance et de camions frigorifiques se rendant à la morgue.

Le mouvement de panique s'est produit lors de la Fête des eaux. AFP

 Plus d'informations sur l'article

Un mouvement de panique fait plus de 300 morts au Cambodge
23 nov. 2010 | Euronews

Près de trois cent cinquante personnes ont été tuées et plus de trois cents autres blessées dans un mouvement de panique sur l’un des ponts de Phnom Penh lors de la fête de l’eau.

Lire l'article
Voir la vidéo d'Euronews

BFM  TV | Des centaines de personnes ont été tuées ce lundi dans une bousculade survenue sur un pont de Phnom Penh alors que des millions de personnes se trouvaient dans la capitale cambodgienne pour assister aux festivités annuelles de la Fête de l'eau.

[Article] Strained relations over ancient ruins wrecking lives.

14/10/2010 | Bangkok Post | Barbara Woolsey

The battles have been waged on international platforms and behind closed cabinet doors, but this is more than just politics - this is playing with people's lives.
The Thai-Cambodia border dispute over the Preah Vihear temple is over a century long and for many of the locals, conflict is all they have ever known.
Resting atop a cliff over 1,500 feet above sea level, the ancient place of worship presents a stunning view of extraordinary ruins and endless jungle.
However, its natural beauty and spiritual resonance has been stripped in the ensuing violence undertaken in the name of sovereignty.
Its engimatic beauty is irrelevant. Preah Vihear is a war zone.
Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but the clash didn't stop there. When the temple was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008, the tension between Thailand and its neighbour came to a head - and is arguably now worse than ever.
For many Thais, the Preah Vihear issue is one of security and nationalism. In a recent poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida), nearly 70% of Thai citizens agreed that the government should push Cambodians out of the overlapping area.
But for locals living in the 13 villages across the Thai-Cambodia border, the temple is much more than a symbol of patriotism - it is a constant reminder of economic hardship.
Despite history, "the relationship between Thais and Cambodians used to be like brothers and sisters", said Visit Duangkeaw, a life-long resident of Si Sa Ket province.
"It was very convenient before. We were able to do business on the other side of the border. We could walk freely, that's how easy it was."

Most religious sites invite quiet contemplation, but this border temple of Preah Vihear excites only intemperate passion.

When the temple was declared a World Heritage Site, everything changed.
PAD protests against Unesco's decision, border skirmishes and the resulting military presence threw locals for a loop. They expected the temple to become a popular tourist destination, not target practice.
"People used to be able to exchange information with each other, instead of the military standing on either side of the border," said Mr Visit. "Now, I can see the other person, but we can't even contact each other."
In June, access to the temple from Thailand was blocked off completely. The temple is still reachable through a packed laterite road from Siem Reap, passing directly through a Cambodian military base.
For many tourists, Preah Vihear is not worth the travel or the risk.
"I invested a lot of money in my business [when it became a World Heritage Site] and my business has failed," said merchant Chit Pranpop from Pomsarol village in Si Sa Ket.
Ms Chit borrowed money to expand her small restaurant along the Thai gate to Preah Vihear, which has since closed. She is deeply in debt, working at a temporary work agency as a server.
"[My business failed] only because I can no longer contact the other side where people used to buy my stuff," said Ms Chit. "I would like for that old channel to still exist. That was the only way that I could find money for as long as I can remember."
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[... Read the full article here ...]

[Article] Angkor Wat under threat.

17 October 2010 | The Phnom Penh Post | Keeley Smith (additional reporting by Rann Reuy)

An international heritage conservancy has warned that the Angkor Wat temple complex faces “critical” threats in the form of heavy traffic and inefficient conservation techniques.
A report released by the Global Heritage Fund also said the fact that many tourism-related businesses were foreign-owned made it difficult for Siem Reap residents to benefit economically from the temples.
“Hundreds of thousands of visitors climb over the ruins of Angkor every year causing heavy deterioration of original Khmer stonework,” says the report, which is titled “Saving Our Heritage: Safeguarding Cultural Sites Around the World”.
According to the report, the number of visitors to Angkor Wat has increased by 188 percent since 2000, from 840,000 to 2,420,000 in 2009.
An Apsara Authority official said last week that Angkor Wat had seen a 24-percent increase in foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2010 compared with the same period last year.
“Mass tourism is overrunning the fragile archaeology site, with millions every year climbing unabated on the monuments,” said GHF Executive Director Jeff Morgan.
The report also says that the temples have been threatened by rapid development in Siem Reap, and that Bayon temple has already borne the brunt of this trend.
“The nearby sprawl of hotels and restaurants is sapping the region’s local aquifer, which has caused the Bayon Temple’s 54 towers to sink into the ground,” it states.
Morgan said that while the Apsara Authority, the government body tasked with managing the temple complex, and UNESCO had taken positive steps towards ensuring the temples were maintained, they did not have a presence at many heritage sites elsewhere in the country.
“Other provinces have little support for heritage preservation [in a situation] typical of most developing countries,” Morgan said.
Mao Loa, director of the Apsara Authority’s Department of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology at the Angkor Wat temple complex, said she had not seen the report, but that the body would be receptive to feedback on the management of the complex.
“We always wait to see constructive criticisms; we need them to raise straight points,” she said.
She agreed that more conservation efforts were needed outside Angkor Wat. In 2004, she said, Apsara expanded from five departments to 14 in a bid to expand its reach, but some pressing conservation issues remain unaddressed.

Who benefits?
Despite rapid development fuelled by a rising number of visitors, much tourism-related revenue – which the report pegged at US$436 million last year – is not going to locals, the report states.

[... Read the full article here ...]

[Photo by Roger Mitton/Angkorian-era ruins of Banteay Chhmar temple in Banteay Meanchey province.]

Journée culturelle AESCI - Cambodge [INALCO/Dauphine]

Association des Étudiants de la Section Cambodgienne à l’INALCO
Samedi 6 novembre 2010, à l’INALCO / DAUPHINE
Cambodge
Patrimoine vivant – Héritage & création

Cette journée culturelle organisée par l’Association des Étudiants de la Section Cambodgienne de l’INALCO, a pour propos de montrer des exemples représentatifs de ces manifestations artistiques qui ne sont connus hors du Cambodge que par un public averti. Des contributions à caractère théorique par des experts, des chercheurs et des praticiens engageront la réflexion et susciteront le débat dans la salle.

L’attention est portée sur l’époque contemporaine avec une double interrogation :
- D’une part, nous nous questionnerons sur la façon dont la nouvelle génération de cambodgiens fait référence, vivifie, réinvestit les traditions reçues dans la production artistique actuelle.
- D’autre part, nous nous pencherons sur la relation des œuvres anciennes et nouvelles avec le public : à qui sont-elles destinées ? Dans quelles cadres et dans quelles conditions sont-elles communiquées, transmises, voire commercialisées ?

Un programme de courtes représentations artistiques, musique, danse, théâtre, littérature orale et écrite, donne corps aux propos en question, et précise l’objet des débats. Ce programme est :
- d’une part constitué de documents filmés des artistes cambodgiens à l’œuvre au Cambodge.
- d’autre part il est incarné par des artistes de la diaspora cambodgienne représentée aussi bien par des maîtres anciens que par leurs jeunes héritiers de France.

A travers quelques exemples de réalisations, nous traiterons la question des processus actuels d’évolution des pratiques artistiques.

Cette manifestation, co-présidée par Madame Marie-Sybille de Vienne et Monsieur Alain Forest, est réalisée par l’association AESCI, sous le patronage de l’Inalco, avec la participation du Service Communication de l’Inalco et le soutient de l’Association des Anciens Élèves et Amis des Langues Orientales.

Plus d'informations :

- Programme public déroulement
- Presentation journee Cambodge du 6Nov10
- affiche Cambodge Patrimoine vivant - AESCI Infocom Inalco

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Bourses d’études au Cambodge (2011-2012) - INALCO – CEK.

Un programme supporté par la Florence Gould Foundation

Date limite de soumission des candidatures: 19 novembre 2010

Ce programme de bourses d’études a pour objet le développement des connaissances sur la société, la culture et l’histoire du Cambodge. Il vise à permettre à des étudiants-chercheurs français de niveau doctoral et post-doctoral, de pouvoir se rendre au Cambodge. Ce programme a également pour objectif d’aider les candidats à s’intégrer au sein de la communauté scientifique internationale et cambodgienne travaillant sur le Cambodge. Les bourses doivent couvrir les frais de voyage et de séjour d’étude au Cambodge. Les candidats sélectionnés devront prendre contact avec le CEK au Cambodge.

Les candidatures pour mener des recherches au Cambodge s’appliquent aux catégories suivantes :

– Bourses de recherche doctorale. Elles s’adressent aux chercheurs doctorants. Elles doivent leur permettre de mener à bien leurs recherches de terrain nécessaires à l’accomplissement de leur thèse doctorale ainsi que d’acquérir une formation linguistique en khmer. Les candidats doivent être de nationalité française. Les bourses de recherche doctorales sont conçues pour des périodes courtes et longues pouvant aller jusqu’à 11 mois au plus.
– Bourses de recherche post-doctorale. Elles s’adressent aux candidats de nationalité française déjà titulaires d’un doctorat ou de son équivalent. Elles concernent les chercheurs spécialisés dans les études khmères ou ceux souhaitant élargir leur champ d’investigation à l’étude du Cambodge. Les bourses de recherche post-doctorale couvrent des périodes courtes et longues pouvant aller jusqu’à 11 mois au plus.

Télécharger le formulaire d’inscription : Gould_Applifgsenior 2010
Pour plus d’information, contacter fellowships@khmerstudies.org ou msullivan@khmerstudies.org

[Article] Stones of contention.

28 September 2010 | Southeast Asia Globe | Charlie Lancaster

For decades, Preah Vihear has been witness to a war of words and sporadic fights between Cambodian and Thai troops over territorial claims.
The 11th century cultural tourist site lies at the heart of a border dispute that harks back 100 years and was re-ignited in 1954 when Thai forces occupied the temple following French withdrawal from Cambodia. Cambodia's successful bid to have the temple listed as a Unesco World Heritage site in July 2008 sparked the recent series of cross-border spats and political posturing. Since then, nationalists, media sensationalists and politicians pursuing private agendas have commandeered the temple. All the while, tourists and cultural enthusiasts are left waiting in the wings for the curtain to finally close on the drama, so they can visit this World Heritage site in peace.
It is in no one's interest for the issue to spiral out of control, for the disputed land surrounding the temple to turn into a 'zone of death', as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, once threatened or for Thailand to employ military force to resolve the issue, as The Nation quoted Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as saying in August. Dialogue, with or without Asean as a mediating body, is the best hope for a peaceful solution. But why is this conflict dragging on? Who, or what, is adding fuel to the fire?

The 1907 map, on which the 1962 ICJ ruling was based, placed the temple within Cambodia.

The watershed affair
The 900-year-old temple was built at the height of the Khmer empire. In 1904, Siam and French authorities ruling Cambodia formed a joint commission to demarcate their mutual border along the watershed line of the Dangrek mountain range, which would have placed nearly all of Preah Vihear temple on Thailand's side. However, when France drew up a topographic map to identify the border's location in 1907, the line deviated from the watershed in the Preah Vihear area, placing the entire temple within Cambodia. Crucially, Thailand did not immediately contest this map, on which the 1962 International Court of Justice ruling concluded the temple was "situated in territory under the Sovereignty of Cambodia" was based.

[...Read the full article here...]

[Article] President Patil mesmerized by Angkor Wat, advocates cultural exchange.

Sep 17th, 2010 | India Talkies | by Shilpa

Siem Reap (Cambodia) : President Pratibha Devisingh Patil expressed wonder and amazement at the beauty of the 12th-century Angkor Wat temples, said to be Cambodia’s grandest legacy.
The temples were constructed by Cambodia’s once mighty Khmer Empire, and have a great influence of Hinduism on its architecture.
Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia and contains the magnificent remains of different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the ninth to the 15th century.
“Angkor Wat temple is considered one of the biggest in the world. It was built in 12th century having historical and mythological importance. The temple architecture has been greatly influenced by architecture,” President Patil told ANI.
“Ramayana, Mahabharata and Samudramanthan scenes are depicted on the walls of the temple. It is really surprising to see that how so large stones were beautifully carved and put together in ancient times. Today also, the carvings seem to be depicting real life pictures,” she said.
“The carvings give a message of peace to the world and shows that Indian culture at that time had influence not only on Cambodia, but on Laos and Vietnam also. Everywhere I see that these places have a strong relationship with India and people here believe in Hindu gods and goddesses,” she added. resident Patil also advocated more cultural exchanges between the two countries and asked the younger generation and students of India and Cambodia to visit each other to see their age-old cultural and historical ties.ngkor Wat is a Hindu temple complex made in early 12th century by King Suryavarman II. It was first dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Vishnu, and then to Buddhism.
The modern name Angkor Wat means “City Temple”.

[ ... Read the full article here ... ]

[Exposition] Archéologues à Angkor, archives photographiques de l'Ecole Française d'Extrême-Orient.

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Le musée Cernuschi propose du 10 septembre au 2 janvier 2011 une exposition consacrée à l'action centenaire de l'École Française d'Extrême-Orient à Angkor (Cambodge). Cette institution orientaliste prestigieuse mène une action exemplaire depuis 1907 pour ressusciter le site d'Angkor, longtemps grande métropole d'Asie avant d'être envahie au XVIe siècle par la jungle...

Le visiteur découvre ici les différentes périodes qui ont marqué les fouilles et travaux d’Angkor à travers 108 photographies (1860-1960) des temples avant leur dégagement, alors que des arbres immenses enserrent sanctuaires et reliefs, puis durant et après leur restauration.
Trois bâtiments sont plus particulièrement étudiés : Banteay Srei (premier temple relevé par anastylose* dans les années 30), le Baphuon, temple-montagne monumental remonté par les Français depuis 1943 et chantier titanesque (300 000 blocs de pierre déposés) qui s’achèvera en mars 2011, ainsi que Neak Pean, temple entouré de bassins à la restauration déjà ancienne mais spectaculaire.
L’exposition comporte également quelques documents concernant la présence des archéologues français à Angkor et deux appareils permettant aux visiteurs de visionner des plaques stéréoscopiques.
Un effort pédagogique particulier permet au public de se familiariser avec l’histoire de l’empire Khmer au travers des grandes fondations impériales: un documentaire sur Angkor (52’, réalisation Didier Fassio, coproduction Cinétévé-EFEO-C.tout com !International avec la participation de France 5, 2009) est projeté gratuitement tous les matins à 11h, dans la salle de conférences (1er étage) du musée.

Cette exposition s’inscrit dans le cadre du Mois de la Photo à Paris, novembre 2010. 

* anastylose : procédé qui consiste à reconstruire les bâtiments comme des jeux de constructions géants.

Plus d'information : www.paris.fr/...

Musée Cernuschi - Des archéologues à Angkor from Paris Musees on Vimeo.

Commissariat :
Isabelle Poujol, responsable de la Photothèque de l’EFEO.
Gilles Béguin, conservateur général, directeur du musée Cernuschi.

Musée Cernuschi

7 avenue Vélasquez 75008-Paris

Tél : 01 53 96 21 50 / www.cernuschi.paris.fr

de 10h à 18h, sauf lundis et jours fériés

Accès handicapés et parking réservé

[Article] The 12th-century facebook of Angkor Wat.

Monday, 6 September 2010 | The Independent

Amid the splendour of the 12th-century temple at Angkor Wat, they stand and stare like silent sentinels, sensuous rather than erotic, carved with elegance and care. But exactly who are these 1,786 mysterious women and why, more than a century after Cambodia's famed Hindu temple was rediscovered byWestern archaeologists, did it take the efforts of an amateur researcher from Florida to push experts into trying to resolve the puzzle?

Though Kent Davis had lived in South-east Asia during the 1990s, he did not have an opportunity to see Angkor Wat until 2005. Like most visitors to the huge complex in the centre of the Cambodia, for many years cut off from the outside world because of the presence of the Khmer Rouge, he was mesmerised by the experience.
But he was also left with a flurry of questions. "I went to Angkor as a tourist and I was startled when I got there to notice these women," said Mr Davis, 54, a publisher and writer who now lives near Tampa, Florida. "I was not prepared for it. The human element of them struck me and I wanted to know who they were. I asked one of the guides and he said they were there to serve the king after he went to heaven."

Mr Davis's interest was tweaked, so he wanted to know more. He vowed he would return to the US and investigate. Yet when he got home he found there was essentially nothing written about these women, who appear throughout the temple complex in full body carvings.

ALAMY / Exquisitely stone-carved Asparas dancers at the Cambodian temple of Angkor Wat

[ Read the full article here ]

[Article] Temple tension mounts.

30 July 2010 | The Phnom Penh Post | Additional reporting by The Bangkok Post |Cheang Sokha and Sebastian Strangio

CAMBODIAN and Thai officials held abortive talks on the sidelines of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil yesterday in a last-ditch attempt to resolve a dispute over Cambodia’s management plan for Preah Vihear temple.
Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said that during the 45-minute meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and Thai Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti reiterated their governments’ stances on the temple listing.
He said the Thai official demanded joint management of Preah Vihear, and that Sok An repeated Cambodia’s long-standing opposition to such an arrangement.
“There was no significant result from the meeting. The meeting focused on the issue of sovereignty,” Phay Siphan said, but Cambodia “welcomed” UNESCO’s attempt to broker a resolution to the conflict.

[ Read the full article ... ]

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WHC postpones decision on temple plan to next year

30/07/2010 | Bangkok Post

The World Heritage Committee (WHC) on Thursday postponed discussion on Cambodia’s management plan for the Preah Vihear temple to its meeting next year in Bahrain.
The issue was expected to be on the agenda of the 21-member WHC annual meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday.  The committee instead dropped the topic, saying Cambodia had not followed proper procedure in submitting the plan.
Cambodia should have handed in its management proposal six months ahead of the meeting, but it made its submission less than 24 hours before the meeting began.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who is leading the Thai delegation, said from Brazil that the postponement is a satisfactory result.
"This will allow Thailand more time for to discuss the issue and to find solutions," he said.
Mr Suwit thanked his team, the government and the Thai people for their support and for voicing their opposition to Cambodia managing the site.

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The 11th century Preah Vihear temple is seen near the Thai border in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh, in this June 21, 2008 file photo. The World Heritage committee meeting in Canada has on June 7, 2008 approved Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

[Article] Tourists flock to temple.

Thursday, 15 July 2010 | The Phnom Penh | Nguon Sovan

Children walk in front of a temple in Preah Vihear.
The complex has seen a huge rise in tourist numbers this year. AFP

TOURISTS visiting Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple increased nearly sevenfold in the first half of this year, as the area benefited from better infrastructure and reduced tension with Thailand.

Preah Vihear Tourism Department chief Kong Vibol said yesterday that from January to June this year 46,400 tourists visited the Preah Vihear temple complex.
The figure is a dramatic leap from the 5,940 tourists recorded over the same period last year. Foreign visitors were also being drawn to the site – they increased by 85 percent to 480 from 260.
“Most tourists are local, and the temple has attracted more of them due to good roads and infrastructure. It is easy to travel to, guesthouses and restaurants are available, and local security is strengthening while tensions with Thailand are diminished,” he said.

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[Article] Restoring history through art.

16 July 2010 | The Phnom Penh Post | Peter Olszewski

A restorer painstakingly fixes a painting at Bakong. [Photo by: Peter Olszewski]

It’s a magic morning at the Bakong temple grounds, with the prodigious Khmer tower framed by blue sky, and a riot of purple bougainvillea blooming at its base.

Cows graze on rich green grass beside the mirror-surfaced moat, monks chant in their monastery and, in the almost ruined Prasat Wat Bakong, work hums as a team of restorers patiently re-render the many religious wall paintings.

While almost all of the restoration at the Angkor temples revolves around the ancient Khmer edifices, at Bakong there is also a restoration team working on 20th century buildings in the complex – the “working” monasteries as such.

Some of these monasteries in Cambodia are festooned with dozens of brightly rendered religious wall paintings highlighting often lurid scenes from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas (tales of the previous lives of the Buddha). Often, however, these paintings are overlooked or dismissed as kitsch, unworthy of being classified as serious art. Some of the more gruesome paintings, sort of Bosch-gone-Buddhist renderings, are often rejected as grotesqueries.

But that’s not the viewpoint of Restaurateurs Sans Frontiere, a cultural NGO established in 1981 that began work at the Bakong site in 2007 at the instigation of Dr Vittorio Roveda, co-author of the book Buddhist Painting in Cambodia.

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[Article] Festivities celebrate temple

08 July 2010 | Phnom Penh Post | Vong Sokheng

Preah Vihear province
During the ceremony, Buddhist monks chanted blessings while performers beat traditional Khmer drums representing the warrior ethic of the Angkorian empire.
In an address, Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, paid tribute to the “smart leadership” of Prime Minister Hun Sen, which he said had helped protect the temple from Thai occupation.
“We are determined to protect Preah Vihear temple and its sovereignty according to the policy of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who ordered us not to invade 1 millimetre into Thailand, and also not to allow our sovereignty to be invaded by 1 millimetre either,” he said.
The temple’s July 2008 listing by UNESCO was highly controversial in Thailand, and triggered a rapid troop buildup along the border with Cambodia. The standoff has been punctuated by a series of small-scale clashes – some of them deadly – along the frontier.
Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the celebration was designed to raise awareness about the value of the ancient temple as an emblem of Cambodian history and culture.
In a press conference at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak yesterday, he said the issue of ownership was definitively settled by a 1962 World Court ruling that handed the temple to Cambodia.
“We are here to look for cultural conservation and preservation, but the government of Thailand looks at the temple as a border conflict,” he said.
“We take this important day to send a message to Thai soldiers and the international community that Cambodia has no border conflict with Thailand.”
He added that in 2009, the government spent US$99 million conserving Preah Vihear and improving road access to it.
Hang Soth, director general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said that ever since the UNESCO listing, projects had been undertaken to ready the temple for an increase in tourists.
“My work here is to focus on the conservation, restoration and research of the heritage site in order to ensure its sustainable development as a tourist destination,” he said.
Hang Soth said much progress on preservation had been made in the past two years, but that work had been hamstrung by tension with Thailand.
He said that with international support, the 11-century ruins could finally get the attention they deserve after years of civil war and conflict.
“We hope that the international community will support our research and conservation projects,” he said.


Evidence in Thai bombing
Also yesterday, Thai police said they found evidence linking a pair of Red Shirt activists to the attempted bombing of a political party headquarters in Bangkok on June 22, following their deportation from Cambodia on Monday.

[... Read the full article ...]

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

[Festival] Photo Phnom Penh 2010 - 28 nov > 5 déc.

Pour la troisième édition de PhotoPhnomPenh, 22 expositions d'artistes internationaux seront présentées dans les principaux lieux culturels de la ville. Placé sous le signe de la découverte, de la fête et de la rencontre Asie - Europe , PPP 2010 proposera 5 soirées de projections en plein air dans la cour de la très belle Université Royale des Beaux Arts du Cambodge suivies par l'étonnante Nuit de l'année, en partenariat avec les Rencontres d'Arles.

For the third PhotoPhnomPenh event, 22 exhibitions of international artists will be presented in the main cultural spaces of the city. In the spirit of discovery, festivity, and Asian-European encounters, PhnomPenhPhoto 2010 is offering 5 evenings of outdoor screenings in the courtyard of the beautiful Fine Arts University of Cambodia, followed by the dazzling "Night of the Year" in partnership with Les Rencontres d'Arles in France.

Photographe(s) : Mathieu Bernard-Reymond
Photographe(s) : Matthias Bruggmann
Photographe(s) : Raphaël Dallaporta
Photographe(s) : Kim Hak
Photographe(s) : Nica Junker
Photographe(s) : Tith Narith
Photographe(s) : Loan Nguyen
Photographe(s) : Mathieu Pernot
Photographe(s) : Heng Ravuth
Photographe(s) : John Vink
Photographe(s) : Li Wei

Christian Caujolle : Edito: Français / English

Christian Caujolle : Biographie / Biography

Christian Caujolle : Dossier de Presse PPP 2010 (En ligne prochainement) / Press book PPP 2010 (Coming Soon)

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 Avec le support / With the support of : Ministère de la Culture et des Beaux Arts du Cambodge, Municipalité de Phnom Penh, Agence Melon Rouge, Meta House, Java Café, Chinese House, XEM Galerie, Citystar, Centre Bophana, URBA,

URPP

[Article] United States Returns 7 Stolen Ancient Cambodian Sculptures.

Sunday, June 27, 2010 | Art daily.org | 2010 The Associated Press

Cambodian Buddhist monks and officers pray during a ceremony held for artifacts that were returned to Cambodia, at the Cambodian National Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, June 17, 2010. The United States returned seven sculptures from the great Angkorian era on Thursday that had been smuggled out of Cambodia. AP Photo/Heng Sinith.

PHNOM PENH (AP).- The United States returned seven sculptures from the great Angkorian era on Thursday that had been smuggled out of Cambodia.
Cambodian Buddhist monks blessed the artifacts during a handover ceremony at the port of Sihanoukville, said John Johnson, a U.S. embassy spokesman. The sandstone sculptures were recovered by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials during an 2008 raid in Los Angeles. They arrived in Cambodia aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy on Tuesday, Johnson said. The Mercy docked at the seaport for a 13-day mission to provide free medical care to Cambodians. Johnson said the artifacts include two heads of the Buddha, a bas-relief and an engraved plinth. The items date from 1000 to 1500 when the kings of Angkor ruled over an extensive empire and produced some of the world's most magnificent temples, including the famed Angkor Wat complex. Cambodia and the United States signed an agreement to protect Cambodia's cultural heritage in 2003.
In 2007, the U.S. government returned the sandstone sculpture of a celestial dancer, or apsara, dating from the 12th century. [ ... Read the full article ... ]