PHNOM PENH: Culture is not a weapon, and history is not a game. Yet once again, the Thai government — through the voice of its suspended prime minister and current Minister of Culture, Paetongtarn Shinawatra — has attempted to distort both.
Her Friday (July 4) claim that the Ta Moan Temple complex falls under Thai sovereignty is not only historically inaccurate, it is legally baseless and diplomatically reckless.
Cambodia categorically rejects this provocation.
In a firm and dignified statement, Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts reminded the world of what should already be well known: the Ta Moan complex lies entirely within Cambodian territory, as clearly defined by the Franco-Siamese Convention of 1904 and the Treaty of 1907.
These binding legal documents — recognised and respected by the international community — established the border long before today’s political opportunists tried to redraw it with arrogance and unilateralism.
The 1:200,000-scale map that both nations agreed to follow under a 2000 memorandum of understanding is not a matter of opinion — it is a legal commitment.
For Thailand to now ignore that agreement and present a domestic registration from 1962 as grounds for sovereignty over a Khmer temple is absurd. International law does not bend to bureaucratic daydreams.
Let us be clear: registering a temple within your national archives does not change its location. Cultural artifacts and sacred sites do not teleport across borders with the stroke of a minister’s pen.
The Ta Moan complex — like Ta Moan Tauch and Ta Krabei — is not Thai. It is Khmer in architecture, Khmer in spirit and Khmer in rightful ownership.
Cambodia has not remained idle. On June 16, the Royal Government of Cambodia submitted a formal request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to adjudicate the dispute, reaffirming our confidence in law over force, and diplomacy over distortion.
While Cambodia seeks resolution through legal channels, Thailand continues to provoke through press statements, propaganda, and at times, military presence.
It is profoundly disappointing that the Thai Ministry of Culture — an institution that should promote understanding and mutual respect — has instead chosen to inflame tensions and insult the dignity of heritage stewardship.
The Cambodian people have always protected our temples — not as trophies, but as symbols of a civilisation that flourished long before Thailand even existed in its modern form. We do not seek confrontation.
We seek respect for borders, law and truth. The world is watching. And history is not on Thailand’s side. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
[Roth Santepheap is a Phnom Penh-based geopolitical analyst. The views and opinions expressed are his own.]
