Stories In Stone: Ancient Khmer Temples In Dispute
VIEW EVENT DETAILSThe Khmer Empire was once a powerful force in Southeast Asia, stretching from the capital of Angkor to the present-day state of Myanmar. While the stone temples that this civilization built serve as reminders of an ancient civilization, they have also taken on a modern role that is mixed in with the politics and national fervor of the region.
Siam and the Khmer Empire were military rivals in past centuries, and the contention between the two sides lives on today in the Thai-Cambodian dispute over the spectacular cliff-top temple Preah Vihear. The two countries claim ownership over the site, and skirmishes in the surrounding area have claimed the lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the border. The conflict begs the question of why are two predominantly Buddhist nations fighting over an ancient Hindu temple?
Featuring former Washington Post journalist John Burgess, Visiting Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and retired journalist Sos Kem from Radio Free Asia, this panel discussion will examine how the struggle for land, cultural patrimony, and modern-day domestic politics complicate the search for a settlement.
John Burgess is an American writer and journalist. His recently published book Stories in Stone focuses on a great Khmer inscription found at another border temple, Sdok Kok Thom, which he first came to know in 1979 while covering the exodus of refugees from Cambodia following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge. He joined the staff of the Washington Post in 1980 and had a 28-year career at the newspaper.
Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak is the Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) and Associate Professor of International Political Economy at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University. Currently, he is a visiting professor with the Southeast Asia Studies Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
Sos Kem worked with Khmer and Vietnamese refugees along Khmer-Thai border between 1979 and 1991, and was stationed with the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as Special Assistant to the US Chief of Mission. He joined Radio Free Asia as the director of their Khmer Service until he retired. He is now serving as a consultant.
Siam and the Khmer Empire were military rivals in past centuries, and the contention between the two sides lives on today in the Thai-Cambodian dispute over the spectacular cliff-top temple Preah Vihear. The two countries claim ownership over the site, and skirmishes in the surrounding area have claimed the lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the border. The conflict begs the question of why are two predominantly Buddhist nations fighting over an ancient Hindu temple?
Featuring former Washington Post journalist John Burgess, Visiting Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and retired journalist Sos Kem from Radio Free Asia, this panel discussion will examine how the struggle for land, cultural patrimony, and modern-day domestic politics complicate the search for a settlement.
John Burgess is an American writer and journalist. His recently published book Stories in Stone focuses on a great Khmer inscription found at another border temple, Sdok Kok Thom, which he first came to know in 1979 while covering the exodus of refugees from Cambodia following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge. He joined the staff of the Washington Post in 1980 and had a 28-year career at the newspaper.
Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak is the Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) and Associate Professor of International Political Economy at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University. Currently, he is a visiting professor with the Southeast Asia Studies Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
Sos Kem worked with Khmer and Vietnamese refugees along Khmer-Thai border between 1979 and 1991, and was stationed with the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as Special Assistant to the US Chief of Mission. He joined Radio Free Asia as the director of their Khmer Service until he retired. He is now serving as a consultant.
Event Details
Wed 30 Mar 2011
Asia Society Washington The Cinnabar Room Whittemore House, 2nd Floor 1526 New Hampshire Ave, NW Washington, DC
Asia Society members: $10; nonmembers: $15. RSVPs are required by 12:00 pm on March 29.