PARIS, Sept 24: French Asia expert, Michel Tauriac says that Angkor Wat, the legendary site of Cambodia’s 9th century capital, has never been in greater danger than today — and that the danger, moreover, no longer comes simply from the theft of its archaeological treasures, but also takes the form of rowdy tourists and greedy promoters.

Tauriac, who is launching this week his new book — Angkor: Glory, Downfall and Resurrection — published in Paris by Editions Perrin, says he’s decided to send out an SOS because he fears that the relative political calm that Cambodia has known in recent years may mislead public opinion into believing that all is well with its internationally-known archaeological landmark.

As for the pilfering of Angkor’s past, it continues practically unabated, says Tauriac, whose expertise on the subject comes from having lived many years in Indochina, some of them not far away from Angkor.

“Last year alone,” he notes, “117 valueless statues were removed, not to mention 43 metres of bas-relief wall decorations.”

And these, he adds, “are all theoretically protected”. In the first eight months of this year alone, he notes, 25 statues representing ‘celestial dancers’ have already been decapitated.

In spite of its status as a world heritage landmark, Angkor “continues to see its treasures removed in open daylight,” he says, “with people coming in with such equipment as primitive chisels but also state-of-the-art chain-saws.”

Most of the pilferers, local residents, “act in all impunity, simply following orders given by international dealers in antiquities, who provide them with sophisticated vehicles that allow them to go remove the objects virtually at a moment’s notice.”