What cheek! French tourists deported and banned from re-entering Cambodia for four years after posing nude at Angkor temple

Three holidaymakers from France have been deported and banned from Cambodia after they were caught taking naked pictures of each other at one of the largest religious sites in the world.

The Frenchmen posed in the buff at a Buddhist temple within the sprawling Angkor complex for a series of cheeky snaps that angered and offended authorities.

After they were arrested at Banteay Kdei temple last Thursday the tourists faced a swift trial, and were convicted of producing pornography and ‘exposure of sexual organs’, the Cambodia Daily reported.

Three French tourists were deported after taking naked pictures of each other at the Angkor temple complex

As punishment the cheeky travellers – identified by Cambodian media as Rodolphe, 21, Alexandre, 21, and Vincent, 20 – were given six-month suspended sentences and a fine of one million riels (approximately £160), and their camera equipment was confiscated.

They have been banned from returning to Cambodia for four years as the Siem Reap provincial court attempted to set a precedent to discourage similar acts at the Unesco World Heritage Site.

Deputy prosecutor Sok Keo Bandith told the newspaper: ‘We used the procedure of deportation in order to warn other foreigners.’

Authorities said the exhibitionists confessed to making a mistake and asked for forgiveness from Cambodians.

CambodiaExpatsOnline.com published photos of the travellers.

Authorities said the men have taken similar photos of each other during their travels around the world

The historic Angkor complex covers approximately 150 square miles and is best known for its Angkor Wat temple, the largest religious monument in the world and Cambodia’s most famous tourist attraction with more than 1.5 million visitors a year.

Angkor was the home of the Khmer empire from the 9th to 15th centuries and contains the remains of different capitals.

Chau Sun Kerya, a spokeswoman for Apsara Authority, which manages the complex, said the men’s photos were intended for personal use.

The Frenchmen faced a swift trial after they were arrested at the Banteay Kdei Buddhist temple

She told the Cambodia Daily: ‘Based on their answers, they had no intention to do business with these pictures, and they used to take photos for fun like this in other countries, too.’

But prosecutor Koeut Sovannareth told AFP that authorities believe the men intended to use the nude photos in a calendar.

The case came just days after Apsara Authority launched an investigation into online photos that showed a young woman posing topless.

As the photos went viral on social media it was claimed they were taken at the Angkor Archaeological Park, but investigators said it appeared the woman was 'photoshopped' into images of the religious site.

A spokeswoman for the complex's manager said the men’s photos were intended for personal use

The Frenchmen aren’t the first tourists to run afoul of the law while visiting the complex.

Last October a 40-year-old woman from New Zealand admitted to breaking a Buddha statue at the Bayon temple.

She was questioned by police and released, and had left the country by the time authorities attempted to arrest her the following day.