PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Restoration work has been underway at the platform and the third terrace's foundation of the Bayon temple in Cambodia's famed Angkor Archeological Park, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Thursday.

Meng Sovanlylin, an architect and a member of the ANA technical team, said the project would strengthen the structure of the southwest corner platform and prevent the flow of sand from inside the foundation of the third terrace of the Bayon temple.

"At some areas around the third terrace of the Bayon temple, there are sand leaks between walls when there are rains, which could pose a risk to this ancient structure," she said.

She added that the ANA experts found that sand leaks were caused by tree roots that had grown into the structure, making some stones move from their original locations and creating gaps between stones.

Built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century and early 13th century, Bayon is one of the key temples in the 401-square-km Angkor Archeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province.

The Angkor Archeological Park, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.

The ancient park attracted 439,365 international tourists during the January-July period this year, earning gross revenue of 20.3 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise. Enditem

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