Thai-Cambodian Conflict Severely Damages World Heritage Site: Over 500 Incidents of Damage at Preah Vihear Temple

(Phnom Penh, 8th) The Cambodian government on Friday (February 6) made public to international media the extent of damage to the World Cultural Heritage Preah Vihear Temple. This ancient Khmer architectural masterpiece, with a history of a thousand years, now bears shrapnel scars all over its stone walls and some structures are at risk of collapse, after enduring months-long clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border last year.

This is the first time since the ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia in December last year that international media have been allowed into the Preah Vihear temple complex. On-site, large amounts of broken sandstone are scattered everywhere and the ancient bas-reliefs are heavily scarred. AFP reporters also saw several unexploded ordnance at the site.

Cambodian officials say the damage was caused by heavy artillery shelling and airstrikes by the Thai military.

The head of conservation and archaeology at the Preah Vihear Authority, Dalit, who is responsible for protecting the temple, said that fighting in December last year caused 420 cases of damage, while the first round of conflict in July led to 142 cases. "The extent of the damage is very serious... Some parts of the temple structure may collapse, and we must take emergency intervention measures."

Dalit said Cambodia will discuss restoration plans with UNESCO. "Restoration work will be extremely difficult, time-consuming, and costly."
The deputy director of the Preah Vihear Authority, Sinat, said that some of the damage to Preah Vihear Temple caused by the Thai-Cambodian conflict last year is already irreparable.

He said some damaged areas may be preserved as "museum-like sites" to exhibit the destruction caused by the Thai shelling.

The Preah Vihear Temple was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2008, but last December Thailand accused Cambodian troops of deliberately using the ancient site as a military base, and thus believed it was no longer entitled to protected status.

An unnamed police officer stationed at the temple said, "On the last day, the Thai army launched heavy shelling on the temple... They wanted to destroy the temple."