They have already restored the Buddha Statue.

She has been charged:







Charges have been filed in the case of a tourist from New Zealand who toppled and broke a Buddha statue in Cambodia’s ancient Bayon temple before fleeing back to New Zealand, a police official has confirmed.

“Even though she is not Cambodian, according to the law we have to file a complaint against her to protect our heritage and statues. It has already been presented at the [Siem Reap provincial] court,” said Pan Chay, chief of the heritage police in Siem Reap.

Chay declined to elaborate on the specific charges and the sentences they would imply, citing further investigation.

Willemijn Vermaat, the Dutch tourist who broke the statue, is now back in New Zealand, where she has lived for the past eight years.

Last week, Vermaat told New Zealand media that she pushed the statue – a replica from 1988 – under the orders of a mystical spirit goddess.

Friends of Vermaat told reporters she had been struggling with personal issues.

But there is no clear indication whether Vermaat will be extradited to Cambodia to face the charges.

“We have not been contacted by the Cambodian authorities regarding this case”, said Nick Peulen, a Dutch embassy official in Bangkok.

Although the possibility of such an extradition seems unlikely – New Zealand and Cambodia do not have any extradition agreement, and efforts to extradite New Zealand-based internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom to the US are dragging on – some Cambodian officials are not letting the matter go.

Apsara Authority director Bun Narith said the organisation, which manages the Angkor Wat complex, had already asked the advice of the Council of Jurists at Cambodia’s Council of Ministers to figure out a way to bring Vermaat to.....

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The Buddha statue allegedly toppled and broken into four pieces by New Zealand tourist Willemijn Vermaat was reinaugurated in a ceremony at the ancient Bayon temple in Siem Reap yesterday morning.

More than a hundred people attended the three-hour event held by the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (Apsara Authority), which oversees the Angkor Wat complex.

Villagers laid flowers at the foot of the statue as a group of sixteen monks chanted and burned incense.

Ten Apsara officials carried the heavy, 1-metre statue back into the heart of the temple, returning it to its place.
Apsara director Bun Narith said the statue’s sacred powers were “now fully restored”.

The statue, a replica installed in the temple in 1988 after the original was damaged, was repaired on October 15 by Apsara restoration workers.

Narith said Apsara will now crack down on lone temple wanderers.

“Even though we have a sign which informs tourists that the temple closes at 5:30pm, our officials at the temple will double-check the enclosures. They have to make sure there are no more tourists in the temple after 5:30pm,” he said.

Vermaat told New Zealand media last week that she was told to leave the premises after staying past the temple’s closing time, but hid in the jungle and snuck back in when the coast was clear.

Vermaat then said she pushed the statue under the orders of a mystical spirit goddess.

Friends of Vermaat, who is now back in New Zealand, expressed concern she was struggling with personal issues.

The Post reported on Wednesday that charges have been filed in Vermaat’s case.

Siem Reap Provincial Court officials confirmed this but.....

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