Two US sisters have been arrested in Cambodia for taking naked photographs of each other inside the nation’s famed Angkor Wat temple complex, officials said yesterday.
Lindsey Adams, 22, and her sister Leslie, 20, were discovered taking “nude pictures” inside the Preah Khan temple at the world heritage site on Friday, the Apsara Authority — the government agency managing the Angkor complex — said in a statement.
“The two tourists admitted that they really made a mistake by taking nude photos,” the statement said.
It is the second time in two weeks that tourists visiting the sprawling temple complex have been caught without their clothes.
Three French tourists were deported last weekend after they pleaded guilty to taking nude pictures of each other inside another temple within the complex.
Apsara Authority spokeswoman for Chau Sun Kerya said the women’s actions were offensive because Angkor is considered sacred ground.
“Perhaps they did not know Angkor is a holy site, but their inappropriate activities affect the sanctity of the place,” she said.
Siem Reap Province police official Keat Bunthan said officers were now questioning the women.
“They lowered their pants to their knees and took pictures of their buttocks,” he said, adding that he was not sure yet what charges they might face for their action.
The three deported French men received a suspended six-month prison sentence on two charges — public exposure and making pornography — and are to be banned from re-entering Cambodia for four years.
The trio were caught just days after a series of photographs of Asian women posing nude at ancient Cambodian temples went viral online and outraged officials, who vowed to step up efforts to prevent similar stunts.
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