Cambodia struggles to save its rich heritage from illegal trade

Among the finds were jewelry, ceramic pottery and even human bones. But shortly after news of the find got out, looters moved in. Within a year, Phum Snay had been stripped bare and its archeological worth destroyed.

Cambodian authorities are struggling to stem the illegal trade in plundered artifacts. A new color booklet published by archeologists called the Red List aims to teach police and border officials what to look for.

The looting of ancient sites and temples is a long and common problem in Cambodia, which has to balance widespread poverty and inefficient policing with a rich cultural heritage that gave the world the magnificent temple complex at Angkor Wat, the drawing card for 2 million foreign tourists each year

Experts say numerous temples and sites around the country have been hacked at and dug up in recent years by those looking to make money from unscrupulous buyers of Khmer statues and jewelry.

Dougald O'Reilly is the founder and director of Heritage Watch, an award-winning non-governmental organization set up to preserve Cambodia's heritage in the face of its wholesale destruction.

The level of looting is almost unprecedented with hectare after hectare being illegally excavated and the resulting artifacts flooding the market, O'Reilly says. Soon there will be little left to document Cambodia's prehistoric past.

Cambodian authorities released the Red List to try to combat this trade. It is an eight-page glossy booklet listing the types of Khmer artifacts most at risk of being stolen and smuggled out of the country.

The list was produced in collaboration with the International Council of Museums and is the sixth of its kind in the council's efforts to combat the illicit trade in artifacts around the world.

Hab Touch, the outgoing director of the National Museum in Phnom Penh, says the Red List is a useful tool to improve the capacities of front-line officials

It is designed especially for police, customs officers and also people who are responsible for protecting cultural heritage to help understand what kinds of Khmer artifacts are now at risk, he says.

Hab Touch says the list's importance is underscored by the fact that protecting every historical temple and site scattered around Cambodia is practically impossible, which makes educating those who man the borders essential.

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