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Deadly Collision Claims 67 Lives in U.S. Air Disaster | At Least 30 Dead and Many Injured in Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India | Chinese President Xi Jinping Affirms Cambodia's Role as a Key Partner in China’s Diplomatic Strategy | Xi Jinping Concludes State Visit to Cambodia, Strengthening Bilateral Ties | Chinese President Xi Jinping Concludes Successful State Visit to Cambodia | Chinese Ambassador: US-China Trade Tensions Harm Developing Nations; President Xi Urges Investment in Cambodia and Expanded Market Access | Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships Bungo and Etazima Dock at Ream Sea Base for Four-Day Visit | Prime Minister Hun Manet Expresses Displeasure Over Criticism of Chinese Investments During Kampot International Tourist Port Inauguration | Asian Development Bank Collaborates with Cambodia on New Development Projects Worth Over $1 Billion |

Cambodia Investigates Alleged Construction of Angkor Wat Replica in Thailand

  • Posted Jul 6, 2021 15:43 by Lundy
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Phnom Penh: The Royal Government has announced that it is investigating the construction of an alleged replica of Angkor Wat in Thailand. Images of building work at Sihanakorn Temple in Thailand’s Buriram Province, over the border from Oddar Meanchey, started surfacing on social media this week. The howls of complaint have been heard by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has instructed the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand to investigate.

Ministry spokesperson, Mr. Koy Kuong, says a detailed investigation is needed as some temples in Thailand have a similar style to Angkor, such as the Phanom Rung Temple, which is also located in Buriram Province. He has emphasized that it first needs to be established if the new project is indeed planned as a replica of Angkor Wat. Pictures of the project, however, would suggest it might be. As a World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat is protected and cannot be replicated.

At the same time, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Mr. Long Ponnasirivath, says the APSARA Authority is also studying the case. Should the project in fact be a replica of Angkor, he says Cambodia will use diplomatic channels to halt construction, as it has done with similar projects in the past.

Just last October, a hotel in Thailand, “Le Palais” was forced to apologise and redesign key aspects of its exterior, after it copied elements of Angkor without permission. Back in 2015, the Indian government shelved plans to build a replica of Angkor Wat after objections from Cambodia.

But there is one replica of Angkor in existence, although not of the main temple itself. “Amazing Angkor” opened in Nanning, China, in 2018. The theme park copies elements of the Bayon Temple and was apparently built in honour of the annual China-ASEAN exhibition, although it remains open to this day.


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