{"data":{"id":"fact_jxd0jkk3du","thread":{"slug":"thai-cambodia-cultural-identity","title":"Thailand–Cambodia Cultural Identity Conflict"},"occurredAt":"2021-07-07T12:00:00.000Z","recordedAt":"2026-09-03T19:29:06.710Z","title":"Cambodia objects to Thai temple complex in Buriram said to copy Angkor Wat","body":"In July 2021, photos of the Sihanakhon complex under construction at Wat Phu Man Fah in Nang Rong district, Buriram, went viral in Cambodia, where critics accused Thailand of copying Angkor Wat under hashtags such as #SaveAngkorWat. Thai officials inspected the site and the abbot denied it was a replica. Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the Apsara Authority investigated and concluded the design did not copy Angkor Wat, while the culture minister formally requested the project documents from Thailand in August 2021.","location":"Buriram province, Thailand","actors":["Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia","Apsara National Authority"],"verdict":null,"verdictNote":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2021/07/706217/cambodians-claim-thai-temple-resembles-angkor-wat","title":"Cambodians claim Thai temple resembles Angkor Wat","publisher":"New Straits Times","retrievedAt":"2026-09-03"},{"url":"https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3147949/angkor-wat-temple-copycat-thailand-sparks-cambodian","title":"Why a new Thai temple has angered Cambodian internet commenters","publisher":"South China Morning Post","retrievedAt":"2026-09-03"}],"tags":["angkor-wat","buriram","cultural-appropriation"],"views":5,"updatedAt":"2026-09-04T22:22:17.189Z","media":[],"relatedFactIds":[],"url":"/fact/fact_jxd0jkk3du"}}