Tourists’ Temple Antics Prompt ‘Code of Conduct’

The Apsara Authority has created a new “Visitor Code of Conduct” for tourists visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province in response to a spate of recent incidents in which tourists have taken nude photographs at the temples, broken statues, or otherwise acted inappropriately.

The new code informs tourists of the rules against smoking, touching monuments, entering restricted areas and wearing revealing clothing at the temples.

“Any act of looting, breaking or damaging Angkor, or exposing sex organs and nudity in public area is a crime punishable by law,” it says.

According to Apsara Authority spokeswoman Chau Sun Kerya, the code of conduct will be translated into multiple languages and posted at the entrance to the temples, as well as distributed to hotels and guesthouses around Siem Reap City starting in July.

“I am confident that our plan will prevent naked tourists, as occurred previously,” she said.

Ms. Sun Kerya said the code had already been translated into several European languages and was still being translated into Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese.

“But I think those who get naked are only European,” she added.

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