Macron’s Angkor visit highlights France’s custodial role

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 4 shows the newly restored West Mebon temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. | AFP-JIJI

Nov 10, 2026

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA – The newly restored West Mebon temple rises from a reservoir at Cambodia’s sprawling Angkor archaeological complex, the latest in a century of conservation projects led by former colonial power France.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni will inaugurate the nearly 1,000-year-old temple on the sidelines of a summit of French-speaking nations in Phnom Penh on Nov. 15 and 16.

Conservationists have restored most of the original 16 towers and surrounding walls over the past 14 years, and put the finishing touches on a stone marker at the entrance last week.

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