SIEM REAP, Oct 21 (NNN-AKP) – At least 9,065 families, living in illegal structures in the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park, have so far volunteered to resettle at new designated areas, Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, said today.
The relocated sites are situated in the Run Ta Ek eco-village in Banteay Srei district, and the Pak Sneng area in Angkor Thom district, outside the Angkor park.
Speaking during a third visit to relocated households, Hun Sen reiterated the evictions are to preserve the beauty of the Angkor park, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), has recognised as a world heritage site since 1992.
“When we nominated the Angkor for a world heritage site, we accepted all terms and conditions that were required by UNESCO, so we have to abide by those terms and conditions, or our Angkor will be removed from the world heritage list, because it loses its qualifications,” he said.
Each relocated family received a plot of land measuring 20 by 30 metres, and an ID card, which allows the card holder to access to monthly cash assistance and free healthcare for 10 years.
The Cambodian government started moving squatters out of the Angkor, after the UNESCO warned that the ancient site could be withdrawn from its World Heritage List, because too many illegal buildings were constructed in the Angkor area, which is against the terms and conditions set by UNESCO for heritage listing.
No exact number of families still living in the Angkor area is available.
The Angkor is the most popular tourist destination in the country. The site registered 134,152 foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2022, up 2,075 percent compared to the same period last year, the state-owned Angkor Enterprise said, adding, it earned 5.36 million U.S. dollars in revenue from ticket sales during the Jan-Sept period, also up 2,012 percent year-on-year.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Angkor attracted up to 2.2 million international tourists in 2019, earning a gross revenue of 99 million dollars from ticket sales.
