About 400 villagers in Kratie province’s Prek Prasap district filed a complaint on Monday to provincial authorities against the Prek Prasap commune chief for refusing to allow them to renovate the Kiri Bopata Kampeng pagoda, villagers said yesterday.

“The director of the provincial religion department already approved [the renovation],” villager Hun Phon said.

Provincial governor Kham Phoeun said that in 2005, clergymen had signed a lease agreeing to construct a rest area for travellers and eventually return the land to the commune chief, but had instead built a pagoda.

He said he had sent the complaint to the district governor.

Commune chief Thou Ngan said that the land was intended for a school and a health care centre.

uo Chan Dara, director of the provincial religion department, confirmed that he had permitted villagers to construct and renovate the pagoda.