Cambodia defends family relocations around the famous Angkor Wat temple complex

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Cambodia is rejecting allegations it violated international law by evicting people living around its famous Angkor Wat temple complex, saying in a report to UNESCO that it was only relocating squatters and not residents of more than 100 traditional villages. The U.N. cultural agency had demanded a response from Cambodian authorities in November after a scathing report from Amnesty International claimed that thousands of families were being forcibly evicted. In its report Monday to UNESCO, Cambodia argued it was only moving people involved in the “illegal occupation of heritage land.” Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s biggest tourist attraction and a symbol of national pride that is emblazoned on the Cambodian flag.