Preah Vihear Temple Suffers 562 Damages from Thai Military Attacks, 501 Bomb Craters as Undeniable Evidence

The world heritage site of Preah Vihear Temple has suffered severe damage from attacks by the Thai military in 2025. According to a report by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre–ICOMOS Joint Advisory Mission, a total of 562 locations were damaged. Furthermore, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) has identified 501 bomb craters as physical evidence of the attacks. Minister of Information, Net Pheaktra, stated on September 12th that the scale of damage from this recent conflict is incomparable to previous incidents and has impacted the temple's integrity, authenticity, and outstanding universal value. CMAC's technical surveys have corroborated these findings, documenting bomb craters from aerial bombs, artillery, and drones. The investigation also recorded evidence of MK-82 bombs, cluster munitions, and various artillery shells, as well as damage to ancient pathways, foundations, walls, pillars, lintels, pediments, and parts of the temple's five gopuras (gateways). Notably, the fifth gopura, the site of a Cambodia-India conservation project, showed damage including the collapse of a crane used in the restoration work, as evidenced by post-attack imagery. Preah Vihear Temple is a shared heritage of humanity. While words can be interpreted and narratives fabricated, the 562 damaged locations and 501 bomb craters at Preah Vihear stand as undeniable physical evidence. Source: AKP Khmer