The Apsara National Authority (ANA) board of trustees has approved the budget for a project scheduled to start next year to repair roads in Siem Reap province and conserve the temples located in the Angkor Archaeological Park.

The budget was approved on Tuesday at a board meeting during the fifth mandate led by Minister of Culture and Fine Arts and director of the ANA board of trustees Phoeurng Sackona.

ANA spokesman Long Kosal confirmed the budget approval on Tuesday but did not reveal its size although he said it was entirely funded by the state.

He said at the meeting, the board advised the ANA to form a joint committee with the provincial hall administration to examine illegal construction projects.

An ANA Facebook post on Tuesday said the board also discussed the results of planned initiatives from its fourth meeting of the fourth mandate and examined an approved sub-decree on the organisation and function of the ANA.

The ANA reported that last month, a working group of ANA officials visited 112 villages around the Angkor area to coordinate with residents who had requested house repairs or permission to build small structures.

The working group had allowed 471 families to build constructions in the area, according to ANA’s Facebook page.

On June 2, Sackona led a meeting of the board of trustees of the Preah Vihear National Authority during the first mandate.

Topics of the meeting included reviewing work results, a financial report for the first quarter of this year, a budget proposal for 2021, and a sub-decree draft on the function and structure of the organisation said a June 3 Facebook post by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.