Ratanakkiri Temple Now in Land Concession

23 November 2013
The Cambodia Daily
Agriculture and fishing / Economic land concessions and plantations / Environment and natural resources / Environment and natural resources policy and administration / Environmental and biodiversity protection / Ethnic minorities and indigenous people / Government / Land / Land classifications / Land policy and administration / Land tenure and land titling / Law and judiciary / Laws and regulations / Ministries and other national bodies / Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts / Protected areas / Public land lease / Social development
Department of Culture and Fine Arts / Heng Heap Co Ltd / Heritage at the Ministry of Culture / Jarai ethic minority / Land Law 2001 / Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage / Lawyers Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation / LPCH / Men Sarun Company / Ministry of Culture & Fine Arts / O’Yadaw district governor Dak Sar / Prasat Ta Nang

Like most millennium-old structures discovered in the forests of Cambodia, the locals had known all along about this one. Jarai minority villagers in this remote spot in Ratanakkiri province’s O’Yadaw district not only knew about it, but they revered the red-brick temple, using it as a shrine where they bring offerings. But as far as government officials are concerned, this historic site, which the Jarai have named Prasat Ta Nang, is a rather new discovery in a part of the country where there are very few monuments. Ta Nang temple, which could pre-date Angkor, stands about five meters high in an isolated corner of the forest near the Vietnamese border. … At this point, only two other heritage sites are listed for Ratanakkiri province on the Ministry of Culture’s website. According to Hab Touch, director-general of Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, Prasat Ta Nang is a known and registered historic temple, though he claimed it was not listed as a recognized site on the ministry’s website due to technical difficulties at the ministry. Another difficulty facing Prasat Ta Nang is that it is now located inside an economic land concession, likely owned by the Men Sarun Company. A Men Sarun company representative said this week that Ratanakkiri provincial authorities only became aware of the temple’s existence a few months ago. “I have been informed by the authorities of the province that they recently found a heritage monument located inside our company’s grounds,” said Meas Sokun Mony, the representative. “But it is unclear whether or not it’s really situated on the grounds of Men Sarun Company’s concession or that of an adjacent concession company, Heng Heap Co., Ltd,” he said. Heng Heap Co., Ltd. operates under the umbrella of Men Sarun company, a group which is involved in rubber plantations and other agro-industry projects. … In 1996, Cambodia adopted the Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage (LPCH) with the goal, as stated in Article 1, “to protect national cultural heritage and cultural property in general against illegal destruction, modification, alteration, excavation, alienation, exportation or importation.” The law mentions in Article 37 that any activity or construction work must stop where a heritage site is located until measures are taken for its protection. “Unfortunately, many of the protections provided for by the LPCH are left up to sub decree, and many of these sub decrees have not yet been drafted,” said Terressa Davis, an attorney with the international NGO, Lawyers Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation. … According to Matthew Rendall, managing partner with the law firm Sciaroni and Associates in Phnom Penh, “Nowadays, antiquities and patrimonies are governed by the 2001 Land Law. In that law, it states unequivocally that any antiquities belong to the state. Registration is not an issue.” The law stipulates that this includes “archeological, cultural and historical patrimonies,” he said.. ..

 Kuch Naren and Michelle Vachon
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ratanakkiri-temple-now-in-land-concession-47779/