Angkor Wat Buddhist Temple: Eviction of 10K

Thaiger (thethaiger.com); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

10,000 Angkor Wat residents facing forced mass eviction

Cambodia upset over Thai temple's copycat

The UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world [almost as big as the unexcavated Buddhist temple complex of Mes Aynak, Afghanistan], is facing a humanitarian crisis.

About 10,000 people who live in and around the site have been told that they must move before the new year. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen describes it as “voluntary relocations,” but residents being pushed out of their homes and businesses with very little compensation view it more as forced mass eviction.

Amazing walls of Angkor Wat trace long history of devas and apsaras interacting with humans.

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Not only Angkor Wat, there are other temples

The temples of Angkor Wat span 400 square kilometers and were designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1992.

It is considered one of the most important religious complexes in the world [blending Buddhism and Hinduism], like the Vatican [which blends Mithra worship and Catholicism].

It is also the primary income driver for the town of [archeology-rich] Siem Reap and home to about 10,000 residents who set up shops, offer guide services, and sell food and souvenirs around the complex.

The ancient site was once a myth

But last summer, authorities began showing up at market stalls telling everyone they had to be out by the end of the year at the latest. Some have been offered small plots of land as compensation.

The land is in an undeveloped area about 20 kms from Angkor Wat, which wouldn’t provide much by way of work opportunities for the relocated residents [who would lose thei] vending opportunities they enjoy now]. More

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