U.S. to fund two cultural preservation projects in Cambodia

The United States government will donate 74,000 U.S. dollars for two cultural preservation projects in Cambodia, said a statement from the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday.

Some 44,000 U.S. dollars will go for heritage restoration work and the rest assist the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to secure collections of archaeological artifacts, it said.

Both sides will sign the agreement on Thursday at the Takeo Provincial Museum.

The grant is from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, which was created by the U.S. Congress in 2001 in order to assist less developed countries in preserving museum collections, ancient and historic sites, and traditional forms of expression.

In 2007 the Ambassador's Fund will support 57 cultural preservation projects in 54 countries.

Source: Xinhua