Dogs would no longer be allowed inside the temples in Angkor Park and pet owners bringing in their animals would be fined and have their pets confiscated, the Cambodia Daily reported on Monday.

The decision was made during a meeting between government agency Apsara Authority, which manages Angkor, and the Interior Ministry's heritage police, the paper quoted Siem Reap Provincial Governor Sou Phirin as saying on Sunday.

"I have notified all hotels and guesthouses last week that we don't permit any kind of dogs to tour the temples," he said.

When dogs left excrement inside a Buddhist temple, "this is no good for our culture," he added.

Police stations throughout the park have been enforcing the ban since Saturday, the paper said.

Angkor is now on UNESCO's World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Tourism is Cambodia's second largest foreign currency generator and Angkor has the lion's share of the incomes.

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2006)