Thailand considers cloning ancient contested Preah Vihear temple

[webfact]

Thailand Considers Cloning Ancient Contested Temple
By Khaosod English


Thai and Cambodian security forces have battled at least twice over the long-contested Preah Vihear just across the border from Si Sa Ket province. With the temple now inaccessible from Thailand, local officials have thought of a way to restore tourism. Photo: Taksam SC

SI SA KET — Those fighting over sacred sites elsewhere in the world should take note of this innovative solution.

After failing to wrest a sacred, mountaintop temple from Cambodia by force of law or just force, the Thai military is considering constructing a mock version of it for visitors to enjoy without having to leave the kingdom.

“It will draw many tourists to visit ... because tourism business owners in Bangkok are saying many tourists want to see Preah Vihear,” said Kalyanee Thamjaree of the governor’s office in Si Sa Ket province. “So I want this project to be built quickly, so that people around Phrea Vihear Temple will be able to sell souvenirs to tourists.”

Ultranationalists in Thailand have seethed ever since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 the ancient Khmer temple belonged to Cambodia and over the years have called for forcefully reclaiming it.

Artillery and gunfire killed soldiers on both sides during the last flare up in 2011, and it is no longer accessible from the Thai side, ending once-thriving trade there.

Four years after that last deadly exchange between Thai and Cambodian security forces, Si Saket provincial officials said the military has approved the idea to build a replica of it not far from the real deal.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1438866130&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2015-08-07

[PatOngo]

Great idea! But why stop there, how about also cloning the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Canyon and the Sydney Harbour Bridge whilst singing "We Are The World"

[Just1Voice]

Go ahead and build your "clone". It will draw a few curious at first, then die. People who want to see Preah Vihear, want to see the REAL THING, not some mock up bull crap!

Thai thinking at it's best.

[MESmith]

Clone the entire Angkor Wat complex. That'll teach those pesky Cambodians

[WhizBang]

Oh my, what a stupid idea. Do they really think tourists, especially foreign tourists, would be interested in coming to Thailand to see a copy? Real tourists travel to see the real thing.

Another stupid idea from another brain dead bureaucrat. I wish these guys would stop having their brain farts in public.

[slipperylobster]

Will they have live actors shooting it out...like at the OK Corral in Old Tuscon Arizona?

[ChrisY1]

Must be clones making these expensive, dumbass proposals.......!

They just cannot take losing a little face!!

[Trentham]

Fake Rolex watches, fake Versace. Why not fake temples.

[ddavidovsky]

Intellectual property infringement?

[NongKhaiKid]

Fake Rolex watches, fake Versace. Why not fake temples.

Great for a TAT Promotion - ' Visit Thailand Where Nothing Is Real '.

[magnacarta]

Intellectual property infringement?

Beat me to it,well done.

[Lupatria]

Fake Rolex watches, fake Versace. Why not fake temples.

Forgot fake cops, monks, and a conveniently modified Buddhism...

[lostmebike]

Yes, why not?

Why innovate when you can just replicate.

[magnacarta]

Great idea! But why stop there, how about also cloning the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Canyon and the Sydney Harbour Bridge whilst singing "We Are The World"

Might I suggest a cheaper alternative,bearing in mind the Thai physche.

[harrycallahan]

Clone a working justice system.

[Katipo]

I'd fly half way around the world to to see a polystyrene copy of an ancient temple.

[SuwadeeS]

The Thai government should be deported to the moon.

[Skygod2000]

Unreal!

[AlQaholic]

Well when they do replicate the thing, when giving tours they should also give the modern history of the monument; what happened to the Cambodian refugees....during the Khmer rouge years....nothing in particular to be proud of.

Who would want to see a replica of a pile of rubble and @#$@?

[magnacarta]

Clone a working justice system.

Good idea but beyond the realms of possibility.Remember they are number 1 and know everything.

[Fullstop]

"Cloning"? You mean "Copying" ... Something the Land of Xerox" excels at. The bulk of Thailand's culture comes from the Khmer Empire.

[DoctorG]

They would bus the Chinese there and tell them it is real.

[BuaBS]

Hey , it works for Las Vegas.

But I've been there ( Preah Vihear ) , and it is not much. Far overrated.

Thailand can rebuild very well , go look at "ancient city- Muang Boran " in Samut Prakan.

[DrTuner]

This they should be able to do, yes. Just give the local Somchai some cement and he'll slap it right up in no time.

[cumgranosalum]

A sort of Walt Disney Thailand.......... why does that have a ring of truth to it?

a lovely image without any of that nasty truth/reality besmirching it

[DavisH]

Fake Rolex watches, fake Versace. Why not fake temples.

Great for a TAT Promotion - ' Visit Thailand Where Nothing Is Real '.

New slogan changes from "Unseen in Thailand" to "Unreal in Thailand"

[Eric Loh]

Just how much stupidity can we take from this military government. Just about everyday, we are subjected to clowns in the administration making laughable and idiotic suggestions and statements.

[Hayduke]

I once saw the Eiffel Tower while passing through a small town in Kalasin. You mean it....wasn't....aw, c'mon...no, really?

[cmrichsw]

It is called Thai revenge

[ratcatcher]

“So I want this project to be built quickly, so that people around Phrea Vihear Temple will be able to sell souvenirs to tourists.”

Come to Thailand to buy trashy souvenirs at a mock-up Khmer temple. That's what it's all about.

Why on earth not make access easier to the real Preah Vihear complex? But, that would require co-operation and innovation.These people are so insecure.