Jolie jets to Cambodia, pledges new conservation scheme

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has pledged to set up a new conservation project in Cambodia after making a surprise visit with her husband Brad Pitt.

Jolie and Pitt, whose adopted son Maddox was born in Cambodia, flew to the impoverished Southeast Asian country during filming for "A Mighty Heart" in Mumbai.

After arriving in the northern town of Siem Reap Wednesday, the couple travelled to the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin and met for about 40 minutes with deputy governor Ieng Vuth.

"She has been interested in this area for a long time and when she came, she said it was necessary to immediately help this place," said Ieng Vuth, son of the ultra-left regime's former foreign minister Ieng Sary.

"The most urgent thing is to preserve the environment about Phnom Khieu (Blue Mountain)," he added.

Jolie later travelled to the capital, Phnom Penh, where she visited Tuol Sleng -- a former Khmer Rouge torture centre turned into a museum on the country's ... |55% REMAINING