Unesco under fire for failing to prevent evictions at Angkor Wat temple site

Amnesty says heritage body has fallen short' in its responsibility to thousands of families thrown off the complex in Cambodia

Unesco has fallen short of its responsibility to uphold and promote human rights" amid mass evictions at Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex, Amnesty International has claimed in a new investigation.

The Cambodian government has used intimidation, harassment, threats and acts of violence" to remove about 10,000 families from the world heritage site, the report said. In an unusual move, Amnesty also named Unesco as a responsible actor", arguing that the UN body was made aware of alleged human rights abuses for months but did not investigate or acknowledge them.

Additional reporting by Keat Soriththeavy