About 1,000 municipal officials from Phnom Penh’s districts and departments will test out the new road to the Preah Vihear temple this month, city officials announced Monday.
The city workers will meet with Preah Vihear provincial officials to discuss developing the tourism potential of the province’s famous Preah Vihear temple, Governor Chea Sophara said at Monday’s weekly municipal meeting.
“I want to create a relationship between Phnom Penh and Preah Vihear,” Chea Sophara said.
For the last year, the governor has been active in fostering such a relationship. The Thai border checkpoint, which is the easiest access to the mountaintop temple, was closed by the Thais a year ago. Since then, Chea Sophara has traveled several times to the site, bringing aid to villagers, whose income from tourism was cut off by the closure, and overseeing development of the area. The municipality also constructed a 113-km road from the provincial capital, Tbeng Meanchey, to the temple.
The convoy will donate more than 600 radios and other supplies to the villagers. “I want the people to have the proper supplies for their daily livelihood,” the governor said.
The municipal officials will get a 5,000 riel (about $1.25) allowance for the trip, while the 51 performing artists from the municipal Department of Culture and Fine Arts will each receive 50,000 riel ($12.50) to give public performances at the temple.
The packed-dirt road has just been finished, and Chea Sophara said it marks an important achievement in turning the temple into a tourist attraction once again.
“We are proud to have our own road to get to the mountaintop Preah Vihear temple,” he said. “It has some problems, but it is our road. We should develop this area for tourists.”
