View of the new town of Run Ta Ek (Cambodia), November 13, 2023. This is the first of the new towns designed to accommodate Angkor Wat relocates. BRICE PEDROLETTI/LE MONDE 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 …