Preah Vihear Temple Bombing Scars: Cambodia Intensifies Call for Accountability

Minister of Information and Communications, Net Pheaktra, has revealed specific figures of 1,599 shells and 501 impact points in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear Temple during the Cambodia-Thailand armed conflict in 2025. He strongly asserts that this was not merely an excuse by the Thai military to 'attack military targets' to conceal acts of destruction against a World Heritage site, and calls for accountability. In a social media post on September 12, 2026, the Minister stated that these figures were presented by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) regarding shells that fell in the Preah Vihear Temple area during the conflict. He further emphasized that more serious than the number of shells are the patterns of the Thai military's shelling and the remaining unexploded ordnance, cluster bombs, and the temple structures themselves being replete with scars from Thai projectiles. A report from a heritage advisory mission noted that impact maps show 'no area was spared,' and all parts of the temple, including infrastructure and tourist facilities, were affected. The Minister stressed that the bomb craters on the ground and the damage to the temple's stones cannot be erased by any claims, calling it a painful historical scar. According to CMAC reports, following two invasion incidents in 2025, approximately 16,000 bomb craters were identified in the widely affected area, and around 10,000 explosive items were cleared in six months. CMAC also highlighted the extensive use of 155mm cluster bombs, posing risks from millions of unexploded submunitions. The consequences at Preah Vihear did not end when the shelling stopped. UXO continues to make the area unsafe, hindering structural inspections and urgent conservation work. This means the shells fired by the Thai military at Preah Vihear Temple in 2025 continue to pose risks to people and the heritage site today. The Minister asserted that the data of 1,599 shells and 501 impact points are verifiable. The craters, unexploded ordnance, and heritage damage are evidence on the ground. Claims without evidence cannot carry more weight than visible and verifiable craters and damage. Preah Vihear Temple needs truth, responsibility, and assurance that this World Heritage site will not again become a target of destruction by weapons, a destruction that has been recorded by UNESCO and ICOMOS. The world knows who destroyed this World Heritage site. Source: AKP Khmer