SIEM REAP, Cambodia, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Preah Vihear (ICC-Preah Vihear) held its ninth plenary session in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province on Tuesday.
Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona presided over the one-day session, which was co-chaired by representatives of China and India.
Sackona said the session saw experts reporting on the progress and results of the 11th-century temple's conservation, restoration, and development.
"The in-depth studies currently underway give us hope that consolidation and restoration work on Gopuras I, II, III and V will begin soon," she said.
"We hope that the partners of the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV), China and India, will submit a timetable for the work by the next session of the ICC-Preah Vihear in September," she added.
Gopura is the entrance gateway into the temple, and the Preah Vihear has five Gopuras.
Established in 2014, the ICC-Preah Vihear is the international mechanism for coordinating all assistance extended by different countries and organizations for preserving and developing the Preah Vihear.
Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple, is situated on the top of a 525-meter cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in Preah Vihear province, about 400 km north of capital Phnom Penh and 200 km northwest of the famed Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province.
The temple was inscribed on the prestigious World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in July 2008.
Preah Vihear is one of Cambodia's four heritage sites registered in UNESCO's World Heritage List. The other three include the Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province, the Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site in central Kampong Thom province, and the Koh Ker archaeological site in northwest Preah Vihear province. ■
