T wo German tourists were briefly arrested last week by Angkor Wat police for attempting

to steal two pieces of stones from the ancient temple.

The two men, one of them a policeman in Germany, were released two hours later after

paying $40 to the police.

A young girl saw the Germans breaking two pieces of stones from a temple rock at

the Ta Prohm temple, according to witnesses.

The girl told three English men, who asked her to report it to the police.

The German policeman, who would not be named, said he was told to write two "reports"

- confessions.

"I wrote down that 'I'm sorry... I will never do it again," he said.

He said they gave the stones back to the police and were the released after paying

them $40.

He said the fine was unfair and there was "no reason" to have to pay it.

But he decided it was better to pay them rather than going to prison.

When asked why he took the stones from the temple, he said: "I have been collecting

stones from all over the world, including the Great Wall of China."