A senior official of the Ministry of Land Management Urban Planning and Construction has announced that the reconstruction of the “Monuments aux Morts” a memorial for the Cambodian soldiers who fell in the service of France during the First World War, was almost three quarters complete.
Ministry secretary of state Ly Rasmey took to social media on May 14 to say that ministry officials remained focused on the project.
“A working group from the ministry is working closely with a team from the National Museum and several sculptors and bronze smiths. They are determined to diligently reproduce the original sculpture,” he wrote.
He explained that the original monument was erected in 1925 to remember the Cambodian volunteers who were killed in the 1914-1918 war. The monument was destroyed by the soldiers of the Democratic Kampuchea regime in 1975.
“It is being rebuilt to not only commemorate the sacrifices of the Cambodians who gave their lives to support France during the vicious fighting on the western front in Europe, but also as a symbol of Cambodian-French friendship and cooperation,” he said.
“The sculpture will also enhance the beauty of the urban landscape, while helping the capital to regain a beautiful piece of art that was lost almost half a century ago,” he added.
The monument is designed around a hexagonal base structure and featured three levels of granite. It measures 14.22m square, and is 12.7m tall.
The first level will be planted with flowers and the sculpture features bronze statues of French and Cambodian soldiers.
Ground was broken on the project on January 25 by Chea Sophara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, and Olivier Becht, French delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad.
The monument is situated in front of the French embassy, south of the Chroy Changvar bridge roundabout on Monivong Boulevard.
