Angkor Wat protection plan gets villagers evicted

Forced to go: A girl waiting for a military truck to move her belongings from the Angkor Wat temple area in Siem Reap province. — AFP

ON a white canvas, Chan Vichet painted an image of the Hindu deity Shiva, oblivious to the clanging sound of Cambodian soldiers loading the remnants of his neighbour’s demolished home onto a truck.

The artist has worked on the fringe of the Angkor Wat temple complex for seven years, making a living selling paintings inspired by the jungle and ancient ruins to tourists.Now his home and gallery will be flattened as the Cambodian government clears 10,000 families living within the sprawling Unesco world heritage site, and many of those facing eviction are unhappy.