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Preah Vihear temple tourism bounces back

The number of visitors to Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage Site in Cambodia, increased rapidly in the past two months as military tensions between Cambodia and Thailand over the disputed border area eased.
The number of visitors to Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage Site inCambodia, increased rapidly in the past two months as military tensionsbetween Cambodia and Thailand over the disputed border area eased.

Head of the Preah Vihear provincial Tourism Department Kong Vibol saidabout 7,000 tourists visited the temple in July and August, a rise of218 percent from 2,200 recorded in the same period last year.

Kong Vibol attributed the rise to the more settled border situation.

Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple, was located at the top of a 525-metrehigh cliff in the Dangrek Mountains , about 500 kilometresnorthwest of the Cambodian capital.

Cambodia andThailand have had a territorial dispute over land near Preah Viheartemple since UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July7, 2008.

However, tensions have eased since YingluckShinawatra won a landslide victory in the general elections on July 3to become new Prime Minister of Thailand, and the International Court ofJustice ordered troops of the two countries to withdraw from theprovisional demilitarized zone of about 17 kilometers around thetemple./.
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