建议开放入口吸引游客‧泰国愿共同推广柏寺

建议开放入口吸引游客‧泰国愿共同推广柏寺


洪森和巴育主持柬泰双边会议。

泰国向我国政府建议，重新开放泰国边界通往柏威夏古剎入口，並和泰国合作推广柏威夏古剎旅游业。

洪森总理和泰国总理巴育昨天下午举行双边会谈时，巴育建议两国加强合作推广旅游业，並提出重开泰国进入柏威夏古剎入口建议。

柬泰两国对柏威夏古剎和周边地区存在领土爭议，导致双方在2009年爆发边境武装衝突，之后我国决定关闭泰国入口，只允许游客通过我国入口进入柏威夏古剎。
除了柏威夏古剎外，两个邻国也存在海域重叠纠纷，前泰国总理阿比希执政时期，宣佈撤销由前总理塔辛於2009年和我国签署的海域界线备忘录，激怒了我国政府。

据瞭解，在会谈中，洪森和巴育选择“避重就轻”，把所有未解决和衝突课题搁置一边，只討论合作发展事项。

双方签署三份文件

会后，两人也见证两国官员签署三份合作谅解备忘录，分別涉及旅游、贩卖人口和铁路衔接。

在整个仪式结束后，洪森总理特別助理英速柏烈接受记者访问时，並没有透露洪森总理对柬泰共同合作推广柏威夏古剎建议的反应。

他称，巴育建议在柬泰边境开发经济特区，並要求我国把批准泰国卡车驶入我国的数量，由现有的40辆，增加至500辆。

在出发访问我国前，巴育向泰国媒体透露，他和洪森同意搁置“敏感课题”，以便维持两国友好合作关係。

他称，两人主要討论经济合作、区域安全和旅游发展等事项。

“我向洪森总理建议，共同发展柏威夏古剎旅游业，允许游客从泰国及柬埔寨进入古剎。”

推柬泰旅游配套

他也指示泰国官员研究设计“五天四夜”旅游配套，其中三天在泰国，两天在柏威夏。

他透露，他也会和洪森討论能源合作事项，但不包括海域重叠问题。

在结束会见洪森总理后，巴育和夫人也前往王宫，覲见西哈莫尼国王。

另一方面，副总理兼外交部长何南丰及泰国外长塔纳萨於昨早举行会谈，討论如何扩大两国合作关係。

外交部发言人桂光会后透露，两人针对多项课题进行討论，如合作加强边境治安、在泰国非法打工的我国劳工及贸易及经济发展。

（柬埔寨星洲日报）

网友选最爱考古遗址‧吴哥窟荣获冠军

网友选最爱考古遗址‧吴哥窟荣获冠军


柬埔寨吴哥窟荣获全球网友票选为2014年最爱考古遗址冠军。

柬埔寨吴哥窟荣获全球网友票选为2014年最爱考古遗址冠军。

由美国考古研究所举办的2014年最爱考古遗址比赛（ArchaeoMadness2014），通过一个月的竞爭，柬埔寨吴哥窟击败“对手”——伯利兹的玛雅文明卡拉烤（Caracol），夺下冠军。此次成绩是由网友所票选得出的结果。

2014年最爱考古遗址比赛（ArchaeoMadness2014）举办的目的，是为了每年10月的庆祝国际考古日。比赛共有来自全球32个著名考古遗址参加。在国际考古节来到的一个月前，比赛就开始，全球网友通过网络投票给心目中最喜爱的考古遗址。比赛分成轮次，每轮都有两考古遗址PK赛，票数最高的考古遗址便可晋级，直到选出最后的两个考古遗址进行最后夺取赛。

美国考古研究所（Archaeological Institute of America，缩写：AIA，亦称美国考古学会）是美国的一个考古学非政府组织，也负责考古点的保护工作。

吴哥窟是公元九世纪到十五世纪是高棉王国都城。最盛时人口达数十万。吴哥古都始建於公元九世纪，十三世纪建成。

今年4月，吴哥窟登上谷歌街景地图，瀏览人次排名全球第二，仅次於法国巴黎。

谷歌公司驻亚太地区代表麦克（Michael Nelson）表示，谷歌收集各国经典后，最受欢迎及瀏览人次最多的，依序是法国巴黎、柬埔寨吴哥窟和美国大峡谷。

（柬埔寨星洲日报）

桔井看夕阳买腩‧湄河水映日落

桔井看夕阳买腩‧湄河水映日落


如果想看水中夕阳的美景，首选桔井（Kratie）湄公河岸，傍晚时分可观赏到高棉美丽的水映日落景观。（图：柬埔寨星洲日报）


桔井著名的特產“腩”。（图：柬埔寨星洲日报）


包成小三角型的“腩”，是桔井著名的特產小吃。（图：柬埔寨星洲日报）


夕阳西下，驴夫赶著小毛驴到湄公河边洗个澡，再回家。（图：柬埔寨星洲日报）

从山上看日落，首选暹粒吴哥巴肯山，巴肯山日落景观闻名於世，是海外游客必去参观的景点之一；如果想看水中夕阳的美景，首选桔井（Kratie）湄公河岸，傍晚时分可观赏到高棉美丽的水映日落景观。

由於东北公路正在整修中，去桔井省的游客不多，除了週末略有人潮外，平日只有一些要去老挝的外国游客及背包客，会停驻在桔井，观赏湄公河夕阳美景。

来回东北省的本地游客则多会停驻在桔井，买一些当地特產给亲友带手信，比如买几串的"腩"。"腩"是一种由鱼胶蒸製而成，味道酸辣的一种小吃，是本地人喜爱的特產。此外，桔井特產还有柚子（文旦）和竹筒糯米饭等。

（柬埔寨星洲日报／报导摄影：罗瑞苹）

វិច្ឆិកា

វិច្ឆិកា
Vichcheka 
November

Sihanoukville Beach

The empire fights back

The empire fights back


Angkor Wat is reflected in the pool.

Tourists flock en masse to the Angkor complex all year round yet even amongst the madness, the millennium-old carvings whisper messages of peace.

The blazing sun is almost right overhead, our eyes are burning from the sweat constantly running into them, our shirts are soaked and we are not even close to entering the Bayon, the richly decorated temple at the centre of Angkor Thom and part of Angkor Archaeological Park. The site is just five minutes from the spot where we alighted from the bus but apparently a headcount has to be completed before we enter the site.

"Millions of tourists visit the Angkor complex every year," our guide tells us.

"Do not leave any valuables like mobile phones and cameras in the bus and always be careful of your belongings or they'll disappear. We have to enter the sites in a group so do not wander around. And don't touch any carvings or bas reliefs or you'll be fined," he instructs before leading us to two officers sitting under a big tree. They finish counting us but the conversation between our guide and the officers continues and we scatter, desperate to find respite from the sun.

Fifteen years ago, when I first visited Angkor, it was all a lot less complicated. We bought our tickets, went through one check-point and then we were free to explore the 400-square-kilometres of Angkor, which encompasses Angkor Wat temple, the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei and other archaeological sites boasting the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century.

Angkor Wat and the Bayon have always been the highlights of Siem Reap but in the old days, there were plenty of quiet corners where the visitor could silently contemplate the exquisite ruins.

Now when we enter the Bayon, it is almost impossible to stick to our group or even walk at our own pace. Tourists are flocking in with their guides, who explain the symbolic meaning and history of each highlight in a babble of Chinese, French, Japanese, English, Thai, German and Korean. After a while, the sounds merge, harmonising into a multi-lingual chant to the giant smiling faces of Bayon,

The Bayon, built by King Jayavarman VII, was the last and only Angkorian state temple to be constructed primarily as a Buddhist shrine at Angkor. The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple's 54 towers to other statues of the king has led many scholars to agree that the faces are representations of Jayavarman VII though others argue that the faces belong to Avalokitesvara, as the bodhisattva of compassion is known. It is however generally agreed that the faces represent four elements that the Khmers see as virtues for a wise ruler: Metta (compassion), Karuna (the representation of pity), Mutita (the virtue of rejoicing at other people’s happiness) and Oupekha (impartiality).

Leaving the wild guesses and theories behind, I squeeze myself into a small corner of the temple to escape the endless flow of tourists and stare at the gigantic stone faces.

The towering faces, reaching up to four metres in height, seem identical at first glance. As I examine them more carefully though, each of the four faces on the individual towers seems to a slightly different expression; some smile broadly, some peacefully, others almost forlornly. Watching the gigantic faces, the babble fades away and I feel at peace.

One kilometre to the east of Angkor Thom is Ta Prohm, one of the most photographed of all the ancient temples, and a site that became internationally famous when it was used as a location in the 2001 film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie.

Originally known as Rajavihara or Monastery of the King, Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to King Jayavarman VII's mother. Unlike most of the other temples in the complex, Ta Prohm has been largely left to Mother Nature. The enormous roots of banyan, fig and kapok trees have intruded into the ruins, their coiled roots weaving their own patterns in the stone. Trees trunks twist amongst sandstone pillars, their branches hugging each other to form a roof over the structures. Some areas of the temple are closed while others are accessible only via narrow and dark passages.

Only a few visitors stop to admire the bas reliefs and the Apsaras, celestial nymphs, in the corridor. Many of them are badly eroded and have been overcome by the gigantic tree root formation in the easternmost entrance pavilion and at the "Tomb Raider tree" in the central sanctuary.

The long hours in the sun have taken their toll and we decide to head back to our hotel, Anantara Angkor Resort and Spa, for a generous buffet lunch and a short rest before heading for Angkor Wat.

Once there, we choose to enter from the back of the temple to avoid both the heat and hordes of tourists.

Built by King Suryavarman II early in the 12th century, Angkor Wat is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology and its five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru. The outer wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world, and the surrounding moat is the oceans beyond.

Wooden staircases add a strange look to the tower of Angkor Wat, but are vital for the survival of the ancient temple because the soft sandstone stairs are eroding with every step taken by every visitor.

The mysterious smiles of the Apsaras are mesmerising. I carefully take their photos, moving in for close ups to capture the details of their hair decorations, rings, attire and facial expressions. My reverie is interrupted by the line of tourists behind me trying to take the same shots, so I move off and hurry to catch up with the group. It is only then that I realise just how hot and tired I really feel.

After a full day's walk around three vast archaeological sites, the resort's serene spa is like manna from heaven and I sleep soundly that night, my dreams full of wondrous faces, each looking at me with a different smile.

If you go

_ If you are visiting temples or pagodas, knee-length shorts and short-sleeved T-shirts are acceptable. To visit the highest level of Angkor Wat, guests are requested to cover their knees and shoulders.

_ Pickpockets and bag-snatchers are growing with the number of tourists so be careful of your belongings and your travel documents at all times.

~Info courtesy of The Nation~

តុលា

តុលា
to-la
October