Phnom Penh, 16 July 2024: The restoration team assigned to Phnom Bakheng Temple is making significant progress in re-erecting the southern stairs and lion statues.

According to a statement released by the APSARA National Authority on July 15, the project is a collaboration between the authority and the New York-based World Monument Fund.

Mr. Van Va, head of the Phnom Bakheng Temple site, reported that the restoration of the five-level staircase structure is now 80 percent complete as of mid-2024. He noted that only five of the twelve lion statues have been repaired so far due to the severe damage the remaining statues have sustained.

The lion statues were originally restored during the French colonial period.