Cambodia's Angkor battles for new world wonder spot

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061227...0815&printer=1

Wed Dec 27, 2:08 PM ET

Cambodia called on its citizens to vote online to support the kingdom's
bid to get the famed Angkor Wat temples named one of the new seven
wonders of the world.

Officials hope the Angkor complex, capital of the powerful Khmer empire
from the ninth to the 15th century, will win the "New 7 Wonders of the
World" campaign, launched by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber.

"Cambodian citizens inside and outside the country, please vote and
help to have relatives and foreign friends... vote to select Angkor
temples as one of the world wonders," said the government's Apsara
Authority, which manages the ancient complex.

But Angkor will have to compete with other aspiring wonders such as the
Acropolis in Athens, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and India's world-famous
monument to love, the Taj Mahal.

The "New 7 Wonders" campaign was launched in 2000 by Weber, and aims to
choose seven sites to replace the original wonders, which were selected
more than two millennia ago.

Public voting and deliberation by the "New 7 Wonders" panel whittled
about 200 nominations from around the world down to 21 short-listed
candidates, including Angkor Wat.

The public now has until July 6 next year to vote by internet or phone.
The new seven wonders of the world will be announced in the Portuguese
capital Lisbon on July 7, 2007 -- 07.07.07.

"When our Angkor temple is selected... we hope more and more foreign
tourists will be interested and come to visit the temple bringing more
revenue for the country," Soeung Kong, deputy director general of the
Apsara, told AFP.

Angkor Wat, located in Siem Reap, is Cambodia's most treasured landmark
and biggest tourist draw, bringing much needed tourist dollars to the
impoverished country.

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