UNESCO Urges Protection of Preah Vihear Temple Amid Cambodia Thailand Clashes and Border Violence

UNESCO has voiced deep concern over intensifying clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, including renewed violence near the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the region’s most revered ancient Hindu temple.

In a statement, UNESCO raised urgent protection concerns of cultural heritage in “all its forms” and reminded both nations of their obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1972 World Heritage Convention. “UNESCO will continue to monitor the situation of cultural heritage in the region, with a view to ensuring its protection,” it said, adding that it is prepared to offer technical support and emergency safeguarding measures “as soon as conditions allow”.

Hostilities flared on December 10 with reports of artillery and rocket attacks along the border, each country accusing the other of targeting civilians. The escalation follows earlier incidents in May, when a landmine blast killed a Cambodian soldier and injured Thai troops, followed by months of cross-border violence that left at least nine civilians dead by July 2025. Although a truce was brokered on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur by US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the latest confrontation suggests the ceasefire has collapsed.
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On December 10, Cambodia’s Defence Ministry accused Thai F-16 fighters of dropping munitions on five provinces, calling the strikes a serious breach of international humanitarian law. Officials said Cambodian forces remained in defensive positions while resisting Thai advances. Cambodia’s Ministry of the Interior reported widespread damage to homes, schools, roads, pagodas and historic sites from “Thailand’s intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes targeting villages and civilian population centres up to 30km inside Cambodian territory”.

It added: “It should be noted that … these brutal acts of aggression of the Thai military indiscriminately opened fire targeting civilian areas, especially schools, and further destroyed Ta Krabey and Preah Vihear temples, the highly sacred cultural sites of Cambodia and the world cultural heritage.”

According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence said nine soldiers had been killed and 120 injured after five consecutive days of violence. Cambodian officials reported 10 civilian deaths and about 60 serious injuries, while military casualties remain undisclosed; unconfirmed reports suggest at least eight Cambodian soldiers may have died.

President Trump told reporters he expected to speak with both nations’ leaders to demand an immediate halt to the fighting. “They’ve been fighting for a very long time, many, many, many decades,” he said. “But I got along great with both. I found they were two great leaders, two great people, and I settled it once. I think I can do it pretty quickly. I think, I think I can get them to stop fighting. Who else can do that? Think of it.”

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook post that he had spoken with both prime ministers but warned that “no complete resolution has yet been reached”. He stressed that Malaysia would continue supporting peaceful dialogue grounded in international law and regional cooperation.

Preah Vihear, built in the 11th and 12th centuries under the Khmer Empire, and the nearby Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple have long fuelled territorial tensions. The dispute stems from a 1907 map drawn by colonial-era France placing the temple on Cambodian soil, a position upheld by the International Court of Justice in 1962 and reaffirmed in 2013.

Despite the rulings, the border surrounding over the 800-kilometre frontier remains contested, with the latest violence highlighting volatility around the ancient Hindu sites.