That cliffside Preah Vihear temple is in serious trouble this time. A joint mission from UNESCO and ICOMOS has just reported back, and it turns out the armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops a few years back really did a number on the ancient site—there are scars everywhere.
Local media say the experts were shaking their heads during their site visit, warning that the temple's overall structure and historical integrity are under threat, and it's now or never for rescue efforts. Top priority? Clear out all the landmines and unexploded ordnance, then slap some emergency bracing on those shattered stones before the whole thing slides further down.
Sitting at a Phnom Penh tea stall sipping iced coffee, listening to the roar of street traffic and smelling the exhaust fumes, it makes you realize how fragile centuries-old monuments really are when the big guns start firing. Let's just hope this rescue mission isn't too little, too late, and that our ancestors' legacy doesn't end up as a pile of rubble.
