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Kompong Thom Province:
The 69 year-old Buddhist temple known as Wat Entry Samvoreak, constructed in 1948 and officially put as the national heritage in 2007, was demolished on 28 August 2017, causing much outrage and dismay.

The head monk at the temple complex decided that the pagoda had become a safety risk for monks and locals, so he ordered its demolition. Unfortunately, he did not consult the correct ministries before destroying the building, and the ministers of Ministry of Information and Ministry of Arts and Culture have reacted strongly to this situation.

Cambodians have also reacted and expressed their anger on social media with serious criticisms, as they await an official reaction by the authorities.
jongruk.com

Smells of a land scam to me

Every pagoda does this, when buildings get too dilapidated they demolish them and build new ones. So there are a lot of old pagodas (as institutions) but rarely do they have any original structures.

Sure, but there is a process involved to prevent scams, and this head monk bypassed it, I think that's the point.

Kampong Thom outcry over temple sparks review
4 September 2017
The demolition of a temple in Kampong Thom province sparked criticism on social media over the weekend, prompting the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to review the case and consider taking legal action.

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith took to Facebook to note that the temple had been built in 1948 on the grounds of the Indry Singvarak pagoda, and claimed the temple was recognised as a national heritage monument in 2007, but that the “monks of the pagoda decided to demolish it without regret”.

Culture Minister Phoeurng Sackona, responding to the post, said her ministry was reviewing the case with the Ministry of Cults and Religion. Sackona didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Article 69 of the Constitution says that “the state has the obligation to preserve and protect” historical sites, and says those who breach the clause should be “severely punished”.

Provincial Governor Sok Luo said chief monk Seang Sok did not request permission to demolish the temple. He said Sok on July 19 had begun to tear down the roof of the temple to repair it, but instead brought down the entire structure.

However, Sok disputed the claim that he didn’t have permission to demolish the temple and that it was recognised as a national heritage monument.
“Before demolishing the old temple, I and the pagoda committee and some local authorities . . . had agreed,” he said...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/k ... rks-review

A number of historic murals and paintings were destroyed in the demolition of the pagoda.

A slice of history turned to rubble

Sombo Manara, another prominent Cambodian historian, sees the murals as representative of the Kingdom’s foreign affairs in the 1950s. Although he does not know who painted or commissioned them, to him it is clear that that the person was faithful to King Sihanouk’s policies.
“The King tried to keep the country neutral and peaceful by keeping equal ties with all foreign powers,” he said. “As we can see, there are almost all forms of ideology in the painting. Even the communists and the liberals were seen together, receiving blessing from Buddha.”

One of the paintings, completed in the early 1960s, depicted an array of historical figures receiving blessings from Buddha. Among them is the young King Norodom Sihanouk, alongside People’s Republic of China founder Mao Tse Toung, former Indonesian President Sukarno, former Burmese Prime Minster U Nu, former leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev, first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former United States President John F Kennedy.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weeke ... d-rubble-0

That is/was quite an amazing mural.

yes, a fantasic mural. only elvis is missing.

Isn't that the mural from the Red Fox?

Is that JFK far right first row?