[Tlc] C-petition/preservation

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from a member.
Thanks,
justin

Your Majesty, 
Your Excellency Samdech Prime Minister,
Your Excellencies, Members of the Royal Government of Cambodia,

We are a number of Cambodian and International institutions and individuals involved in the preservation of Cambodia’s culture and cultural heritage who felt it was necessary to alert Your Majesty and Your Excellencies on the threatened heritage of a number of historical landmarks in the city of Phnom Penh. One of them, the Renakse Hotel, located in front of the Royal Palace, is both a building of considerable architectural value as well as an historical milestone. From its foundation in the early part of the twentieth century, the building was part of the Royal Court of Justice instituted during the French Protectorate. It was there that the world famous writer/adventurer André Malraux was first tried for his attempt at looting the temple of Banteay Srei in the Angkor region. Later, in 1979, the first post-Khmer Rouge Cambodian government settled in its walls. For many people engaged in the reconstruction of a post-conflict, modern and democratic Cambodia (including members of the Cambodian People Party which owns the building), the Renakse was their meeting-ground, and an important place of activities. The old walls of this venerable building are therefore charged with the history of modern Cambodia. Moreover, and if the old front building is well preserved, the Renakse represents an attractive tourist site that could both generate jobs and incomes for many, while continuing to serve its role as a one of the architectural pillars of the city of Phnom Penh.

For these reasons, we call on Your Majesty, Your Excellency Samdech Prime Minister and on Your Excellencies Members of the Royal Cambodian Government, to do all what is in Their Capacities to save this historical landmark from destruction, total or partial. We also take this opportunity to call upon Your Wisdom to continue to raise awareness among the Cambodian people on the priceless value of the country’s architectural built heritage, which cannot be limited to the temples of the Angkor times. 


 The Petitioners.



______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu