Preah Vihear Temple Suffers Extensive Damage from 2025 Clashes; UN Report Officially Published

AKP Phnom Penh, September 9, 2026 -- At the invitation of the Cambodian State Party and with coordination from relevant Cambodian authorities, a report on the damage to Preah Vihear Temple has been officially published on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said on Sept. 9. The public can access the “Joint WHC-ICOMOS Advisory Mission to the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia)” report through the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1224/documents/ According to the report of the Joint WHC-ICOMOS Advisory Mission to the Temple of Preah Vihear, conducted from Mar. 1 to 6, 2026, the 2025 strikes, particularly those in December, caused extensive damage throughout the property. The State Party identified 142 damaged areas resulting from the July 2025 strikes and 420 damaged areas from the December 2025 strikes. The report noted that armed conflicts had affected the property before, since its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008. Clashes in 2009 and 2011 had already caused damage to the temple structures. However, it said the devastation resulting from the recent conflict was “incomparable in scale.” The resulting impacts and alterations have significantly affected the integrity and authenticity of the property, as well as its overall Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). The mission therefore considered that the property is facing both ascertained and potential further threats. The report clarified that the section on damage assessment was not comprehensive. Under insecure conditions, the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV) had already conducted damage assessments following the July and December 2025 strikes, while the International Coordinating Committee for Preah Vihear (ICC-PV) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had also assessed the impacts on the property and ongoing conservation projects. Due to security measures, the mission was able to remain on site for only a few hours on Mar. 3, 2026, making a thorough inspection impossible. Nevertheless, the mission said the visit was sufficient to witness the devastating situation and confirm the quality and objectivity of the physical damage reports prepared by NAPV. NAPV teams systematically photographed, described and geo-referenced each incident of damage at the property. According to the report, this documentation provides a clear measure of the severity of the aftermath and constitutes an effective tool for establishing priorities. The mission stressed that urgent action is needed to secure the most unstable structures, complete the documentation, and protect fallen structures and fragments. By C. Nika