Preah Vihear Temple Suffers Severe Damage from Armed Attacks, UNESCO-ICOMOS Report Confirms

AKP Phnom Penh, September 9, 2026 -- Cambodian Minister of Information H.E. Neth Pheaktra said that the official report of the joint UNESCO-ICOMOS mission to Preah Vihear Temple has confirmed the extensive damage caused by armed attacks in July and December 2025, posing serious threats to the World Heritage property. In a Facebook post on Sept. 9, the Minister said UNESCO had published the official report of the joint UNESCO-ICOMOS Advisory Mission, which inspected Preah Vihear Temple from Mar. 1 to 6, 2026. According to the report, the impacts of the attacks had affected the integrity, authenticity and Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of Preah Vihear Temple. The report recorded 142 damaged areas resulting from the July 2025 attacks and 420 damaged areas from the December 2025 attacks. It described the scale of destruction caused by the recent conflict as “incomparable” with the damage resulting from previous conflicts. The mission also clearly noted that “no area was spared,” with damage affecting not only the temple structures but also infrastructure and tourism facilities. More concerningly, H.E. Neth Pheaktra said, UNESCO-ICOMOS assessed Preah Vihear Temple as being under “serious and specific danger,” requiring significant and urgent conservation action. “Preah Vihear Temple is not only Cambodia’s heritage, but also the heritage of humanity,” the Minister stressed, underscoring that its protection is a shared responsibility that must be carried out in accordance with international law and without allowing armed conflicts to continue destroying irreplaceable cultural heritage. The full report is available on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website at: https://whc.unesco.org/document/227108 https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1224/documents/ By C. Nika