The Banteay Thom temple, 2 km north of Angkor Thom, is deteriorating rapidly and needs immediate preservation work, an Angkor Conservation official said on Sunday.
Nine stones recently fell from the roof of the temple, a common occurrence, Angkor Conservation Deputy Director Tuon Phok said.
He said blocks of stone frequently fall off the 12th century temple, especially in the rainy season, because it doesn’t receive enough attention.
“I don’t see any measures being taken by the Apsara Authority to protect the temple from more stones falling off,” he said.
Angkor Conservation and Apsara Authority officials often squabble about jurisdiction over the temples. Apsara, an inter-ministerial effort supported by the international community, is supposed to coordinate the temples’ preservation and development.
Ros Borath, deputy director general of Apsara, refused to comment Sunday.
Few tourists visit Banteay Thom because of its degraded condition, remoteness and, during the rainy season, inaccessibility—the one road leading to it is severely flooded, Tuon Phok said.
To protect the temple, wood struts should be wedged between stones in areas where collapse is imminent, and the stone blocks that have already fallen should be collected and replaced, he suggested.
Vong Von, director of the Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture, agreed that Apsara should do something. “The temples belong not only to our nation, but also to the international cultural heritage.”
