[ad_1]
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Ezra Kirill Ek
phnom penh post
As the modern world begins to close in, Phnom Penh’s iconic Buddhist college, surrounded by casino developments, faces the prospect of relocation or even closure.
A bookshop near the remaining entrance remains open, its collection of religious, cultural, reference and historical texts undisturbed, gathering only chalky construction dust.
The library in the octagonal building was also open but empty; the dozens of students who used to come here every day were nowhere to be seen. A handful of staff and friends of the college sat under the Khmer-style three-tiered roof, discussing politics or their World Cup picks. Sometimes they had to stop until the drilling died down.
With the college surrounded on three sides by casino buildings, few tourists are visible. Across the street towers the cranes of the TSCLK complex, which is still in its early stages but will be part of the future Naga 2 casino annex with 1,000 hotel rooms. There are concerns that these developments will overwhelm the college, forcing it to relocate or close.
On the left, excavators are digging out a pile of dirt to build an underground passage that will connect the new building to NagaWorld, a 24-storey casino and entertainment complex located behind the academy. On the academy’s land to the right are the beginnings of the steel structure of an electrical substation designed to supply power to the new building. A nearby tourist park will follow soon.
The facilities will cater to growing demand for high-end tourism, particularly from Vietnamese and Chinese tourists who face gambling restrictions at home.
“This is a sacred place,” said a middle-aged man who asked not to be named. “There are many records and religious history donated by kings and dignitaries. This is one of the most important places in our culture.”
He is concerned about the drop in visitors, loss of land and damage to buildings but said they have no mechanism to complain. He said the Ministry of Religion has done nothing to protect the institute.
Last month, parts of a wall and gate built with the ministry’s consent to protect the institute from intruders were demolished, leading the monks to hold a protest march on May 29. The ministry denied the monks’ allegations that the land for the power substation had been leased or sold to a casino. Ministry spokesman Seng Somony said building the substation was necessary to promote Cambodia’s development and that the border wall would be rebuilt after Naga 2 was completed.
Mr. Somoni also said the ministry itself might abandon its premises at Sihanoukville pier and move to a seven- or eight-story building on the academy’s land. The ministry could not be reached for comment this week.
The institute is considered an important Khmer research center in the world, dedicated to the preservation, scanning and cataloging of ancient Khmer manuscripts, as well as publishing, research and international seminars. Founded in 1930 by King Monyon with the support of France, the institute became a center for the preservation and development of Cambodian national culture and the country’s first large-scale publisher.
The institute’s journal, Kambuja Soriya, is still published and features classical literature, religious works and folk tales. The country’s first Khmer newspaper, Nagara Vatta, was co-founded by institute librarian and nationalist Son Ngoc Than (who later became prime minister). Other publications include the 110-volume Tripitaka translated from Pali, a collection of Khmer legends and the first Khmer dictionary, which is still updated and used and comes with a mobile phone app. The current cream-colored building opened on a one-hectare site in May 1998.
“This land belongs to Buddhism,” said But Buntenh, founder of the Independent Monks Network for Social Justice. “No one can give it away without the consent of the sangha. King Norodom Sihanouk gave the land to the institute, and the religion ministry must stop giving land away to companies.”
Bunthen has launched a nationwide petition to collect signatures from monks and ordinary people to protest against the unfair treatment of the college. “We will take the petition to the king, and if it doesn’t work, we will take it to the anti-corruption department. If that doesn’t work, we will protest outside the prime minister’s office,” he said.
He noted that the college was in serious danger of being relocated. “The government has talked about relocating the college to Boeung Snor, 18 to 20 kilometers away. This would infringe on our religious beliefs. We have learned a lot from the government,” he added. “They break the law and seize land, like we saw in Boeung Kak.”
On the institute’s grounds, the middle-aged man scanned the upturned soil and newly poured concrete foundations on both sides, feeling uneasy about these issues. “We don’t know what they are planning. They never asked for our opinions, we have no say, and we dare not complain because we know who the main investors are and how powerful they are.”
NagaCorp, NagaWorld’s parent company, is listed in Hong Kong and has a 41-year monopoly on casinos within 200 kilometers of Phnom Penh, which expires in 2035, and a 70-year casino license valid until 2065. NagaCorp made $140 million in profits last year despite hundreds of NagaWorld employees striking in June to demand an increase in the minimum wage from $80 a month to $150. The court ruled the strike illegal and ordered the employees to return to work.
NagaCorp pays no income or gaming revenue taxes, only a fixed fee that was 1.5 percent of total revenue of $345 million last year. Construction of the new $369 million Naga 2 annex began in November and is scheduled to open in early 2016. The TSCLK complex, named after the company’s chief executive, Tan Sri Dr Chen Lip Keong, a Malaysian who is also an economic adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, will house two hotels and 18,000 square meters of retail space.
It will also feature meeting rooms and a 4,000-seat theater, 50 VIP suites, up to 300 gaming tables and 500 electronic gaming machines, according to a company statement. The existing NagaWorld facility also has 1,000 hotel rooms, which typically have an occupancy rate of 90 percent. The company is also developing a $350 million casino hotel in Vladivostok, Russia.
The developments in Phnom Penh have sparked outrage among historians who are aware of the institute’s contribution to regional religious studies.
“It is sad to think that the development of casinos has crowded out institutions that played such an important role in Cambodian history,” author and historian Milton Osborne wrote in an email. “Interestingly, the fact that the Buddhist Academy was founded in large part to prevent Cambodians and Laotians from traveling to Thailand for more in-depth Buddhist studies speaks to the pre-modern connections that existed between Bangkok and the Cambodian and Lao Buddhist sangha.”
Another member of the institute added that no compensation was given for noise and encroachment. “This way, our research can’t be completed,” he said. “But our biggest fear is that we will eventually be driven out and asked to close and relocate. How can we compete with the casinos’ money?”
A third said the worst aspect of the building was the message it sent to young people and the Buddhist community that the country’s main center for religious and literary research was being squeezed out by a flashy casino development. “This is bad news for the academy and for the state of Buddhist studies in Cambodia,” he said. “If Buddhism’s past is treated this way, what does that say about its future?”
NagaWorld representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The academy is open from Monday to Friday, from 7:30am to 11am and from 2:30pm to 5pm. The academy is located in the Sangkat Tonle Basak district of Khan Chamkamon, next to Hun Sen Park. Visit Website: www.budinst.gov.kh.
[ad_2]
Source link
