Cambodia urges India to quit Angkor 'replica' plan

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Tuesday requested the Indian government to tell an Indian trust, Mahavir Mandir, to abandon its plan to build a near-replica of Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat Temple, a spokesman said.

He raised the request during a meeting with outgoing Ambassador of India to Cambodia Dinesh K. Patnaik, Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Chum Sounry told reporters after the meeting.

"The deputy prime minister said Angkor Wat Temple is the national symbol of Cambodia and requested the government of India to "completely stop" the company's plan to build the replica of Angkor Wat Temple," he said.

In response, Patnaik promised to convey this request to the government of India.

Mahavir Mandir, a Hindu trust based in the eastern Indian state of Bikar, delayed in June its plan to construct a near-replica of world famous Angkor Wat Temple in India's Bihar state after the Cambodian government had sent a protest note to the government of India.

Located in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, Angkor Wat Temple is the country's most popular tourist destination.

According to government figures, the 12th century site attracted nearly 1.24 million foreign tourists in the first seven months of 2015, earning 35 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales.