Preah Vihear Temple Suffers 562 Damaged Sites and 501 Craters from 2025 Hostilities

Phnom Penh, September 12, 2026 -- Minister of Information H.E. Neth Pheaktra stated that extensive damage to the Temple of Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, during the 2025 hostilities has been documented through international assessments and technical surveys, with the physical evidence remaining visible on the ground and irrefutable. In a Facebook post on Sept. 12, the Minister detailed that a report by the Joint UNESCO World Heritage Centre–ICOMOS Advisory Mission, citing documentation from the National Authority for Preah Vihear, recorded 142 damage locations at the Temple during the July 2025 hostilities and a further 420 locations during the December hostilities, bringing the total to 562 documented damage locations. According to the report, the scale of the recent damage was incomparable to that caused by previous conflicts and significantly affected the integrity, authenticity, and Outstanding Universal Value of the Temple of Preah Vihear, he added. H.E. Minister said the findings were further supported by technical surveys conducted by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), which identified 501 impact craters attributed to aerial bombs, artillery fire, and drones. Of these, 78 were documented from the July hostilities and 423 from the December 2025 hostilities. CMAC also documented evidence of MK-82 aerial bombs, cluster munitions, and 105mm, 125mm, and 155mm artillery shells, as well as damage to the Temple’s ancient causeway, foundations, walls, pillars, lintels, pediments, and various parts of its five Gopuras, according to the minister. He also highlighted damage at Gopura V, where the Cambodia-India conservation project had been underway. Photographs taken before the hostilities showed a crane and scaffolding being used for conservation work adjacent to the Temple structure, while photographs and video footage taken afterward showed extensive damage, including the collapse of the conservation-area crane. “142 documented damage locations in July; 420 in December; a total of 562 damage locations across the Temple; 501 impact craters; aerial bombs and cluster munitions; 105mm, 125mm and 155mm artillery shells; and damage to the site of the Cambodia-India conservation project,” H.E. Neth Pheaktra said, describing these as physical evidence that can be seen, documented, measured, and independently verified. The Minister stressed that the Temple of Preah Vihear is a World Heritage property of humanity, adding that while narratives and interpretations may differ, the documented physical evidence at the site remains. He concluded that the 562 documented damage locations and 501 impact craters at Preah Vihear constitute evidence on the ground that cannot simply be rewritten. By C. Nika