PHNOM PENH, Jan 29: Hundreds of protestors burned and looted the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh on Wednesday before rampaging through the city after alleged comments by a top Thai actress that Cambodia should return the Angkor Wat temples to Thailand.

Police said told AFP that they had received reports of at least ten Thai businesses damaged by roaming mobs of motorcyclists wielding sticks, stones and Cambodian flags.

“At least ten Thai-owned businesses were reportedly damaged. We will find out the real figure later,” a senior police official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

“They don’t stop. They continue to go around and around the capital to find more Thai-owned places.”

At least four police appeared to be seriously wounded, an AFP correspondent said. Police could not confirm any casualties.

Bangkok Airways said in Bangkok it was forced to cancel its flights to Cambodia for Thursday as its computer reservation system was destroyed in an attack on its office.

Witnesses said four cars had been burned in front of the office, which escaped fire.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had ordered four military planes on stand-by in Bangkok to evacuate its nationals if the situation worsened.

The anger of the mob was sparked by alleged comments by popular Thai actress and regional ice-skating champion Suvanant Kongying appearing in Khmer-language dailies this week that Cambodia should hand over the world-famous Angkor Wat temples to Thailand.

Dailies and radio reported that Suvanant had said during an unspecified interview: “If any sponsors or promoters invite me to visit or perform in Cambodia, the Cambodians must agree to return the temples of Angkor to me.”

Another story quoted her as responding to a question “Who do you hate most in the world?” with “I hate Cambodia, for stealing my Angkor wat.”

Suvanant emphatically denied making the comments and apologised for any hurt feelings of Cambodians in Bangkok on Tuesday.

The ancient Angkor Wat in northwestern Siem Reap province is considered by Cambodians to be the crowning glory of their history and national culture.

The province of Siem Reap belonged to Thailand as recently as January 1947, when Thailand returned the province to Cambodia, which was under French control, in return for a French promise not to veto Thailand’s admission to the United Nations.—AFP