Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia now safe to visit

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia now safe to visit

By Natalie Paris

The Foreign Office has decided that Preah Vihear temple, the subject of a long-running dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, is no longer dangerous.

A ninth century Angkorian temple on the boarder between Thailand and Cambodia is now considered safe to visit after being the subject of conflict between the two countries since 2008.

Soldiers from the Cambodia army have been guarding the Preah Vihear temple, surrounded in jungle and bearing similarities to Angkor Wat, for the last few years.

The few tourists that made it to the far north of Cambodia to visit the site were required to check in at an army base on arrival.

The temple, declared a World Heritage site in 2008, lies just 100 metres from the border with Thailand, a border that was created at the end of the Second World War.

Shortly after, Thai soldiers descended on the temple and a battle ensued with Cambodian troops, with the temple becoming a flashpoint for hostilities in the years that followed.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/cambodia/11789905/Preah-Vihear-temple-in-Cambodia-now-safe-to-visit.html

[BigBadGeordie]

So does that mean the plan to build a resort style copy on this side of the border is cancelled?

[alant]

But you can't get to it from Thailand side...

[khwaibah]

But you can't get to it from Thailand side...

And Thais are not allowed into the sit from within Cambodia.

[tigermoth]

I have been to the temple and am a bit puzzled as to how you actually get to it from the Cambodian side. The temple is on the edge of a fairly high range of cliffs which deliniate the border and the UN in its wisdom?? suddenly decided that the border suddenly change direction and go into Thailand and encircle the temple then return to the cliff edge, a completely puzzling decision. I don't know how you can access the site except through Thailand.

[northernphil]

If its too difficult to get access too I will wait for the cutout cardboard replica.

[Roota]

It's hard to take seriously a piece that starts with 'the boarder between Thailand and Cambodia'.

As for the safety of visiting Phrea Vihear, the British Foreign Ministry seems rather slow on the uptake. It's been fine for years. Definitely a bit of a journey from Siem Reap (the nearest big town on the Cambodian side) but there are some interesting places along the way, and you practically have the place to yourself once you get there. Angkor hasn't been that pleasant for a good 20 years.

[Guitar God]

When I was there in January, the only access was by driving there and walking 500m or more from the museum parking lot on the Thai side, except you couldn't walk all the way to the temple because of a blockade by Cambodian soldiers on the road to the parking lot near the temple.

it says it's now safe to visit, it doesn't whether it's possible to actually get to the temple, of if you're just likely to get shot when visiting the location of the Thai army's overlook of the temple.

I'm assuming this implies it wasn't safe when I visited there eight months ago.

Edited August 8, 2015 by Guitar God

[khwaibah]

When I was there in January, the only access was by driving there and walking 500m or more from the museum parking lot on the Thai side, except you couldn't walk all the way to the temple because of a blockade by Cambodian soldiers on the road to the parking lot near the temple.

it says it's now safe to visit, it doesn't whether it's possible to actually get to the temple, of if you're just likely to get shot when visiting the location of the Thai army's overlook of the temple.

I'm assuming this implies it wasn't safe when I visited there eight months ago.

There is NO access from the Thai side that was stopped in 2008. All access is from Cambodia. The closes border crossing from Thailand the Chong Sa Ngom crossing at GPS 14.345423, 104.057007 foot traffic and motor bike crossing only no cars. You can get a taxi to take you to PV. Or you can go to SR and get a 1 day tour. There is a new road that connects from SR to PV.

[Tomtomtom69]

When I was there in January, the only access was by driving there and walking 500m or more from the museum parking lot on the Thai side, except you couldn't walk all the way to the temple because of a blockade by Cambodian soldiers on the road to the parking lot near the temple.

it says it's now safe to visit, it doesn't whether it's possible to actually get to the temple, of if you're just likely to get shot when visiting the location of the Thai army's overlook of the temple.

I'm assuming this implies it wasn't safe when I visited there eight months ago.

There is NO access from the Thai side that was stopped in 2008. All access is from Cambodia. The closes border crossing from Thailand the Chong Sa Ngom crossing at GPS 14.345423, 104.057007 foot traffic and motor bike crossing only no cars. You can get a taxi to take you to PV. Or you can go to SR and get a 1 day tour. There is a new road that connects from SR to PV.

I was told by a travel agency in Cambodia cars can cross there with a permit. PM me for the details if you are interested.

There is also no deposit required unlike at Poipet, which requires a USD 10,000 deposit for Thai cars to pass.

[khwaibah]

When I was there in January, the only access was by driving there and walking 500m or more from the museum parking lot on the Thai side, except you couldn't walk all the way to the temple because of a blockade by Cambodian soldiers on the road to the parking lot near the temple.

it says it's now safe to visit, it doesn't whether it's possible to actually get to the temple, of if you're just likely to get shot when visiting the location of the Thai army's overlook of the temple.

I'm assuming this implies it wasn't safe when I visited there eight months ago.

There is NO access from the Thai side that was stopped in 2008. All access is from Cambodia. The closes border crossing from Thailand the Chong Sa Ngom crossing at GPS 14.345423, 104.057007 foot traffic and motor bike crossing only no cars. You can get a taxi to take you to PV. Or you can go to SR and get a 1 day tour. There is a new road that connects from SR to PV.

I was told by a travel agency in Cambodia cars can cross there with a permit. PM me for the details if you are interested.

There is also no deposit required unlike at Poipet, which requires a USD 10,000 deposit for Thai cars to pass.

Nothing been said on the Thai side. No FEE at Chong Chom. Smells like the typical scam job that Cambodia is known for.

[louse1953]

I have been to the temple and am a bit puzzled as to how you actually get to it from the Cambodian side. The temple is on the edge of a fairly high range of cliffs which deliniate the border and the UN in its wisdom?? suddenly decided that the border suddenly change direction and go into Thailand and encircle the temple then return to the cliff edge, a completely puzzling decision. I don't know how you can access the site except through Thailand.

Up a road by bike/

[Tomtomtom69]

When I was there in January, the only access was by driving there and walking 500m or more from the museum parking lot on the Thai side, except you couldn't walk all the way to the temple because of a blockade by Cambodian soldiers on the road to the parking lot near the temple.

it says it's now safe to visit, it doesn't whether it's possible to actually get to the temple, of if you're just likely to get shot when visiting the location of the Thai army's overlook of the temple.

I'm assuming this implies it wasn't safe when I visited there eight months ago.

There is NO access from the Thai side that was stopped in 2008. All access is from Cambodia. The closes border crossing from Thailand the Chong Sa Ngom crossing at GPS 14.345423, 104.057007 foot traffic and motor bike crossing only no cars. You can get a taxi to take you to PV. Or you can go to SR and get a 1 day tour. There is a new road that connects from SR to PV.

I was told by a travel agency in Cambodia cars can cross there with a permit. PM me for the details if you are interested.

There is also no deposit required unlike at Poipet, which requires a USD 10,000 deposit for Thai cars to pass.

Nothing been said on the Thai side. No FEE at Chong Chom. Smells like the typical scam job that Cambodia is known for.

Yes, that's where I'll be crossing [Chong Chom] although Chong Sa-ngam was also given as an option since Poipet requires permission and a deposit of USD 10,000 (possibly in the form of a carnet) so is out for most people. Leaving via Poipet is OK though.

Speaking of Chong Chom, I saw there was a hut at the end of the road and no proper brick and mortar buildings on the Thai side. Next to the hut is a barrier, which the customs guys remove in order to allow cars to pass through. Is that the hut I would do my car paperwork processing and get my immigration stamp? I can't make out any other building on Google maps street view, except for one on the right. However, that hut would be for inbound immigration processing, since it's located on the left-hand side of the road if coming from the other direction.