PHNOM PENH: Delegates from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts expressed their profound shock and sorrow during a visit to Preah Vihear Temple, which sustained damage in 562 locations as the result of attacks by the Thai military in July and December 2025.
Culture minister Phoeurng Sackona inspected the temple on March 20. She was accompanied by Kim Rithy, governor of Preah Vihear province, Kong Puthikar, director-general of the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV), Hang Peou, director-general of the Apsara National Authority (ANA), and other specialists.
During their visit, the minister and the other members of the delegation expressed their grief over the massive destruction suffered by the Preah Vihear Temple, a Unesco World Heritage site and a treasure for all of humanity, said an NAPV statement.
“The damage witnessed firsthand was hundreds of times greater than the previous reports prepared by the authority, when the authority recorded a total of 562 damaged locations,” Sackona was quoted as saying.
The NAPV reiterated that all nations have a duty to protect cultural property and must not target heritage sites for attack, under any circumstances. This obligation is stipulated in the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
The temple suffered damage in 142 locations during attacks of July, with an additional 420 locations recorded after December 2025. The impact was noticed across the whole complex, from the Peuy Ta Dy cliff and Gopura I through Gopura V, said the NAPV.
In addition, there was damage to the Indian cooperation project site at Gopura V, the US-embassy-funded restoration site of the northern stairs and the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
