Franciscus Verellen, forum moderator, Director of the EFEO (France)
Karel Kranda, Research Centre Rez Ltd and Nuclear Physics Institute, Czech Academy of Science;
Director of the Czech Gopura Project, Angkor (Czech Republic)
Dominic Goodall, Head of the EFEO Centre in Pondicherry (France/United Kingdom)
Andrew Hardy, Head of the EFEO Centre in Hanoi (France/United Kingdom)
Peter Ryan, Director of the Intellectual Exchange Programme, Asia Europe Foundation, (Singapore)
Paritta C. Koanantakool, Director, Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre (Thailand)
Pascal Royère, responsible of the Baphuon Temple restoration, EFEO (France)
Jenny F. So, Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong (China)
Kerya Chau Sun, Director, Department of Cultural Development Museum and Heritage Norms,
National Authority, APSARA, Angkor (Kingdom of Cambodia)
Main observations
Protection versus Access
1. From a philosophical angle, conservation work in general raises questions about why and consequently how an artefact should be preserved. The material degradation of ancient artefacts is inevitable, so a clear objective for conservation is needed in order to decide on the ethical compromise between cosmetic preservation (e.g., to sustain tourism for a realistic period of time) and maintaining the authenticity (or original state) of the artefact.
2. An important objective of manuscript conservation is to make primary sources available to a wider public, a policy encouraged by UNESCO. The EFEO was entrusted with a collection of manuscripts, and faces the dilemma of whether to protect this highly valuable heritage by maintaining it as a private collection restricted for expert study, or to open it for public access. It has chosen the latter course.
3. A related dilemma was between preservation of the medium versus the content of the artefact. What should be the focus of preservation: the object itself (e.g. the silk or palm-leaf material) or the message it contains? This issue has significant implications for the acceptable degree of intrusiveness or damage to the artefact that the preservation work will entail.
4. Digitisation is currently the most effective means to safeguard manuscript content for future generations. (The expected lifespan of palm leaf manuscripts in South India is 300 years.) Digitisation dramatically increases public access to and information on manuscripts. The ease of diffusion of digital images has, unfortunately, led to the theft of valuable objects from conservation centres, but this has not hitherto been a problem for manuscripts.

Challenges of Asia-Europe Cooperation
5. Asia-Europe cooperation in heritage conservation is currently imbalanced as it is primarily driven by the phenomenon of European scholars studying Asia.
6. The notion of heritage owes very much to European scholarship and is relatively recent in many Asian countries. Amongst Asian scholars and conservationists, there are two conflicting viewpoints on European field study in Asia. On the one hand, Europe is seen as a repository of knowledge and expertise on conservation methodology. On the other hand, a more critical viewpoint sees European knowledge as hegemonic and foreign, as imposing on Asian scholarship and insensitive to local practices. This has led to the emergence in Thailand, for instance, of nationalist movements that oppose international cooperation.
Heritage Ownership
7. The issue of heritage ownership is a sensitive one as it has cultural, political and economic repercussions. There is debate on whether to maintain artefacts in situ by local communities, or to relocate or transfer them to state care by national government agencies.
8. One discussant noted the importance of encouraging a sense of ownership in local communities vis-à-vis cultural heritage. Conservation work is most sustainable when local communities are involved in safeguarding artefacts and see heritage as more than a commodity. The transfer of appropriate technology and knowledge from Europe to Asia is much needed here, as the resources of local initiatives in Asia, like community museums, are often limited.
Economics of cultural heritage
9. Discussions on heritage conservation necessarily involve economics. For many, cultural heritage constitutes a source of income. A delicate balance needs to be struck between the often conflicting needs of social development and heritage preservation. This issue is especially relevant in tourism development. Cambodia was raised as an example where tourism income is needed to continue the restoration work of Angkor when international funding ceases in the future.