On December 11, UNESCO expressed deep concern about renewed fighting between Cambodia and Thailand near the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and called for urgent protection of cultural heritage across the region. The organisation reminded all parties of 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. UNESCO said it will monitor the situation and stands ready to provide technical assistance and emergency protection measures as soon as conditions allow.
The warning followed reports that border clashes escalated from December 10, involving artillery and rocket fire that affected civilian areas. Local media reported that each side accused the other of initiating attacks. Earlier this year, in May, a Cambodian soldier was killed and Thai troops were injured by a landmine near the disputed area; subsequent rocket strikes and cross-border fighting left at least nine civilians dead, including women and children, by July 2025.
A truce was brokered earlier in the year with assistance 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 agreement, Cambodia’s Defence Ministry reported 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 that homes, schools, roads, Buddhist pagodas and ancient temples had been damaged by what it described as intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes reaching up to 30 km inside Cambodian territory. The ministry 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 reported 10 civilian deaths and around 60 people seriously injured. Cambodia has not publicly disclosed its military casualties, though unconfirmed reports suggested at least eight soldiers were killed.
President Trump said he expected to speak with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to press for a halt to the renewed clashes, noting he had previously helped settle the dispute and believed he could negotiate a quick end. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had spoken with both prime ministers but that no complete resolution had been reached; Malaysia would continue to support peaceful dialogue grounded in international law and regional cooperation.
Preah Vihear sits on a cliff in the Dangrek Mountains along the natural Cambodia–Thailand border and has long been at the heart of tensions between the neighbours. Cambodia and Thailand have disputed 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.
Built in the 11th and 12th centuries during the Khmer Empire, Preah Vihear was placed in Cambodian territory on a colonial-era 1907 map drawn by France. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. Tensions resurfaced in 2008 after Cambodia sought UNESCO World Heritage listing for the temple, and after further deadly confrontations Cambodia brought the matter back to court in 2011; the court reaffirmed the 1962 ruling in 2013.
UNESCO’s appeal highlights the risk that ongoing fighting poses not only to people living near the border but also to irreplaceable cultural sites. The organisation’s call for compliance with heritage protection conventions underscores the need for immediate measures to safeguard temples, religious sites, and civilian infrastructure while diplomatic and de-escalatory efforts continue.
