Preah Vihear Temple has stood as a witness to Khmer civilization for nearly a millennium and is recognized by the world as a cultural property of Outstanding Universal Value. Yet during the Thai military’s armed aggression against Cambodian territory in 2025, this monument that had endured the passage of centuries could not escape artillery fire and the consequences of military operations.
The damage to Preah Vihear Temple is not merely a Cambodian assertion. Reports by competent technical authorities have documented the severity of the destruction: architectural elements were destroyed or severely displaced by direct fire; decorative carvings and inscriptions were damaged or lost; and the effects of explosions significantly affected both the temple structures and the surrounding cliffs, threatening the integrity, authenticity, and Outstanding Universal Value of this World Heritage property.
This is a reality that no rhetoric can erase. When temple stones lie shattered, carvings are damaged, inscriptions are lost, and remnants of munitions continue to be found within a World Heritage area, the evidence on the ground speaks louder than any claim.
The Numbers Tell the Story of the Damage
The scale of the destruction and the consequences of the conflict become even clearer through the emergency response operations undertaken by Cambodia in cooperation with international partners.
Approximately 40 hectares within the Preah Vihear Temple area and its surroundings have been cleared of explosive remnants of war. During these operations, 97 cluster-munition remnants, 84 unexploded ordnance items, and 17,937 artillery fragments were identified and cleared.
At the same time, the condition of the entire temple complex was documented. Emergency structural stabilization was carried out at 20 critical locations, while more than 60,000 stones and carved architectural fragments were identified, collected, and secured.
These figures are not merely statistics. Behind every fragment of stone lies a piece of architecture, art, history, and humanity’s collective memory. Broken stones can be collected. Damaged structures can be stabilized. But historical value that has been destroyed cannot simply be manufactured again like a new object in a factory.
Heritage Is Not a Target of War
Preah Vihear is not merely a Cambodian temple. Its inscription on the World Heritage List signifies that its value transcends national borders and that it constitutes a legacy of significance to humanity as a whole. Damage to Preah Vihear, therefore, is not a loss for Cambodia alone; it is a loss to the shared heritage of humankind.
The protection of cultural property during armed conflict is not a matter of political choice. It is an obligation recognized under international law, particularly the principles of international humanitarian law requiring parties to armed conflict to respect and protect cultural property from the effects of military operations.
Cultural property of exceptional importance to humanity demands heightened precaution and protection. Therefore, when a World Heritage site suffers damage as a consequence of military operations, the question cannot simply be: “What was destroyed?” The international community must also ask: Why was a World Heritage site exposed to artillery fire? Were the precautions required under international law taken? And who bears responsibility for the damage that occurred?
The problem also extends beyond Preah Vihear.
Cambodia has drawn the World Heritage Committee’s attention to unilateral activities by Thai civilian and military authorities within Cambodian territory along the Cambodia–Thailand border, affecting not only Preah Vihear Temple but also Prasat Khnar, Ta Krabey Temple, Ta Muen Thom Temple, Ta Muen Toch Temple, and the Vishnu statue east of Preah Vihear Temple.
The statement noted that these activities included the destruction of cultural infrastructure and archaeological remains, serious damage to heritage sites, and the registration of certain Cambodian temples on Thailand’s national list of ancient monuments.
Cambodia warned that these actions appear intended to alter the existing situation on the ground, create a fait accompli, and undermine Cambodia’s long-standing management, conservation, and stewardship of these cultural sites.
Cultural heritage cannot legitimately be used as an instrument for advancing territorial claims, and control established through force cannot create lawful title over another State’s cultural heritage.
Evidence Cannot Be Erased by Rhetoric
The explanations and justifications advanced by the Thai military in defense of its operations cannot erase the physical evidence on the ground.
Shattered architectural elements, blast damage, remnants of munitions, and the extensive emergency recovery operations undertaken at the temple constitute physical evidence that demands truth and accountability—not denial or explanations designed to evade the consequences of military action.
Artillery fire cannot be transformed into rhetoric. Shattered stones cannot be repaired by statements of denial. And remnants of munitions found on the ground cannot be made to disappear through words.
Accountability for the protection of World Heritage must begin with acknowledgment of the facts and with guarantees that actions placing such heritage at risk will not be repeated.
Stones Can Be Repaired; Lost History Cannot Be Recreated
Cambodia has undertaken emergency measures through the National Authority for Preah Vihear in cooperation with international partners. The clearance of explosive remnants of war, documentation of the temple’s condition, structural stabilization, and recovery of tens of thousands of architectural fragments demonstrate Cambodia’s commitment to preserving the temple’s Outstanding Universal Value even under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
But the world should not wait for a temple to come under artillery fire before collecting its shattered stones.
The world should not wait until carvings are damaged before speaking of conservation. Nor should it wait until irreplaceable heritage is lost before recalling the obligation to protect it.
Restoring and repairing stones is not enough if the causes that shattered them are not prevented from recurring.
This is why Cambodia has called upon the World Heritage Committee to continue supporting the restoration and long-term conservation of Preah Vihear Temple, to maintain close monitoring of its state of conservation, and to promote conditions ensuring safe and unhindered access for conservation specialists, emergency-response teams, and local communities.
Preah Vihear Temple has stood through centuries. It has survived the rise and fall of kingdoms, shifting political landscapes, and the passage of history. It should not be left to become a silent witness to destruction caused by armed aggression in the twenty-first century.
Preah Vihear does not need sympathy after destruction. It needs protection before destruction occurs.
Protecting Preah Vihear is not merely about protecting Cambodia’s past. It is about protecting humanity’s shared inheritance, upholding the principles of international law, and safeguarding the right of future generations to inherit the cultural heritage that the present generation has a duty to pass on to them in peace.
Stones can be repaired. But history once destroyed cannot be manufactured anew. And World Heritage must never again be allowed to become a casualty of war.
