In collaboration with the APSARA National Authority (ANA), 37 professors and students from local and international universities are participating in an archaeological excavation in Siem Reap province, beginning on June 23.

The ANA said the professors and students from the US' University of Hawaii – along with those from Cambodia's Royal University of Fine Arts and their counterparts from Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan – participated in the excavation, at Wat Chet Dei pagoda in Sangkat Sambour of Siem Reap town.

Im Sokrithy, archaeologist and director of the ANA’s Department of Research, Training and Communication, welcomed the lecturers and students who joined the research excavation.

“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the international relations of science, education and training of human resources in the field of archaeology. The ANA has partnered with the University of Hawaii as part of a research project on post-Angkorian Khmer history,” he explained.

He added that Angkor has become an international laboratory where both domestic and international researchers come to receive training and internships.

The ANA said the archaeological excavation is scheduled to last for three weeks, starting from June 23. It will study the structure of the pagoda, and aims to focus on the social and economic activities – as well as the daily lives – of the post-Angkorian people.