The Cambodian authorities' plan to relocate the overpopulated communities around the historic Angkor temples has been causing a stir within long-established "traditional villages." The operation is supposed to concern the countless squatters and traders who have set up shop over the years in defiance of regulations. However, on the eastern side of the archaeological park, the inhabitants of Preah Dak – who have lived there for several generations and speak in a particular diction that closely resembles ancient Khmer – are blaming officials for pushing them to volunteer for the relocation program, which comes with social benefits.

More than a year ago, nearly 3,000 of them had already demonstrated their refusal to settle in two new towns under construction several dozen kilometers from Angkor. Then Prime Minister Hun Sen warned: "When the time comes, not even a single cent will be given and [the residents will be] expelled from this area. Be advised!" Since then, departures from Preah Dak have continued through 2023 and all residents know they're living on state land. "It's all a blur. Some residents have agreed to leave and regret it," said one resident, who was careful to remain anonymous.

The operation prompted Amnesty International to denounce "forced mass evictions" in a report on November 15, 2023, noting that officials were using the argument that UNESCO might otherwise declassify the site as an incentive to leave. For its part, the APSARA, the national authority responsible for the 400-square-kilometer listed site, has promised that "there is no question of affecting the indigenous population, legally settled on the Angkor site and whose presence was recorded within the 113 traditional villages at the time of Angkor's inscription in the World Heritage List [in 1992]."

But Amnesty International has denounced "the lack of clarity and publicly available information on the 113 villages that may continue to exist in Angkor." Furthermore, no list of these villages has been drawn up. They are simply identified as dots on World Heritage maps. UNESCO immediately informed Amnesty International that it had "at no time requested, supported or participated in this program," while calling on the Cambodian authorities to "carry it out with full respect for human rights."

The social benefits granted to volunteers to settle in the two new towns under construction include title to a 600-square-meter plot of land per family and married child, a bonus equivalent to €300, 30 sheets of corrugated iron and a "poverty card" entitling them to cheaper medical care for 10 years. The move, which is free of charge, is paid for by the army.

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