Phnom Penh [Cambodia], December 11 (ANI): UNESCO has voiced deep concern over renewed tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, notably around the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Paris-based body called for the urgent protection of cultural heritage across the region “in all its forms.”
In its statement, UNESCO reminded all parties of their obligations under international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1972 World Heritage Convention. The organisation said it will monitor the situation and is ready to provide technical assistance to safeguard cultural property and implement emergency protection measures “as soon as conditions allow.”
The warning follows reports of escalating border clashes that began on December 10, involving artillery and rocket fire affecting civilians. Local media said each side accused the other of initiating the attacks. Earlier this year in May, a Cambodian soldier was killed and Thai troops injured by a landmine near the disputed area; subsequent rocket strikes and cross-border fighting led to at least nine civilian deaths, including women and children, by July 2025.
A truce was brokered earlier in the year with help from US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and was sealed on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. Despite that, Cambodia’s Defence Ministry reported on Thursday morning that Thai F-16 aircraft dropped munitions on five provinces, describing strikes on military and civilian sites as serious violations of international humanitarian law. The ministry said Cambodian forces remained on the defensive, resisting Thai advances.
Cambodia’s Ministry of the Interior said on December 10 that homes, schools, roads, Buddhist pagodas and ancient temples had been damaged by “Thailand’s intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes targeting villages and civilian population centres up to 30km [18.6 miles] inside Cambodian territory.” It accused the Thai military of indiscriminate firing that damaged schools and destroyed Ta Krabey and Preah Vihear temples, calling the sites “highly sacred cultural sites of Cambodia and the world cultural heritage.”
According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence reported nine soldiers killed and 120 injured after five days of fighting. Cambodian officials said 10 civilians have died and around 60 were seriously hurt. Cambodia has not publicly disclosed its military casualties, though unconfirmed reports have suggested at least eight soldiers were killed.
US President Trump said he expected to speak with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to press for a halt to the renewed clashes. “I think I’m scheduled to speak to them tomorrow,” he told reporters at the White House, adding he had previously helped settle the dispute and believed he could negotiate a quick end to the fighting.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim posted that he had spoken with the prime ministers of both countries about the tensions but that no complete resolution had been reached. He said Malaysia would continue to support peaceful dialogue grounded in international law and regional cooperation to preserve stability and security.
The Preah Vihear Temple, perched on a cliff in the Dangrek mountains along the natural Cambodia-Thailand border, has long been at the heart of disputes between the neighbours. Cambodia and Thailand have contested non-demarcated stretches of their more than 800-kilometre shared land border for decades, with competing claims over ancient Hindu temples including Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear.
Preah Vihear was built in the 11th and 12th centuries during the Khmer Empire. The border dispute traces back to a colonial-era map drawn in 1907 by France, then colonial administrator in Cambodia, which placed the temple in Cambodian territory. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, but tensions resurfaced in 2008 when Cambodia sought UNESCO World Heritage listing for the temple, triggering years of sporadic clashes. After several deadly military confrontations, Cambodia went to court in 2011; the court reaffirmed the 1962 ruling in 2013. (ANI)
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