Assignment: The human cost of developing Cambodia's Angkor wonder

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 31 December 2024

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tourists are flooding to Cambodia's "8th wonder of the world," the ancient temple complex at Angkor. But the rapid expansion of the site comes at a terrible cost, as tens of thousands of people are ousted. The authorities call some "illegal squatters" and claim others volunteered to leave. But human rights groups say the evictions are forced, illegal and target families who've worked the land for generations. Many say they're now debt-ridden and struggling to survive. Jill McGivering travelled to Angkor to meet those at the heart of the crisis.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:03.6	I'm Jill McGivering, this week on assignment in Cambodia.
0:31.1	It's around six in the morning, and I'm standing in hush darkness with a crowd of a few hundred tourists from all over the world, getting ready to greet the dawn.
0:34.5	A canopy of bright stars stretches overhead.
0:40.1	We've gathered inside the compound of the world's biggest religious monument,
0:44.5	the 12th century Ankhawatt Temple in northwest Cambodia.
0:48.7	A first soft light is steadily growing.
0:52.9	And there it is.
0:59.0	The sun is rising into view behind this ancient temple, and it's all reflected in the lake. It is magical.
1:05.0	Angkor Wat is the most famous of dozens of temples studied across the vast jungle of Ankur Park.
1:14.6	More than 30 years ago, the park was designated a world heritage site by the UNSQ's cultural body, UNESCO.
1:22.6	About 100,000 villagers live inside the park's boundaries.
1:27.3	Many now accuse the Cambodian authorities
1:29.6	of using that world heritage status as an excuse to seize their land or force them from their
1:36.4	homes. Others say they're being threatened and harassed because they refuse to go.
1:44.7	Cambodia is an up-and-coming tourist destination,
1:48.2	and this area, Ankhall Park, is a big money spinner for the authorities.
1:53.0	Every one-day entry pass for the temples costs $37.
1:58.6	Anchor Wat is the star attraction.
2:05.5	Officials have predicted that if they develop this region carefully,
2:15.3	then in 10 years' time, they could see 7.5 million foreign visitors every year. That's an explosion compared with today.
2:22.2	The Angkor temples are certainly a magnet.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.