Preah Vihear damage worse than reported, says minister
Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeurng Sackona visits Preah Vihear Temple on Saturday. MCFA
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Synopsis: Accompanied by officials and experts, Phoeurng Sackona surveys areas hit by artillery shelling and calls for urgent conservation measures.
Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeurng Sackona has inspected damage to Preah Vihear Temple, saying destruction from the 2025 armed conflict is “hundreds of times greater” than earlier estimates.
An initial report by the National Authority for Preah Vihear recorded 562 damaged sites. However, after visiting the temple on Saturday, Sackona said the true extent is far worse.
She inspected areas hit by Thai military artillery shelling and bombardment in July and December last year, accompanied by provincial governor Kim Rithy, authority chief Kong Puthikar, Apsara National Authority director-general Hang Peou, and experts.
The delegation expressed shock at the scale of destruction.
“The damage and destruction that we have seen with our own eyes is hundreds of times greater than the damage report prepared by the Preah Vihear National Authority, which recorded a total of 562 damaged sites.”
“Each wound upon the stones of Preah Vihear Temple echoes a wound in the heart of every Khmer, a deep suffering shared by our stones and our people. Standing atop the mountain, Preah Vihear endures as a single tear of Khmer heritage, resting upon the face of humanity beneath the vastness of timeless existence,” Sackona said.
Sackona added that all countries are obligated to protect cultural heritage, citing the World Heritage Convention and the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, which prohibit attacks on cultural sites.
To address the damage, the International Coordinating Committee for the Conservation and Development of Preah Vihear held its 11th plenary session in Siem Reap on Thursday, chaired by Sackona with China and India as co-chairs.
Ahead of the meeting, experts assessed damage at Preah Vihear and reviewed conservation work at Koh Ker Temple. They recommended urgent measures, including structural stabilisation, documentation and safety improvements at multiple sites.
At Preah Vihear, experts called for immediate intervention in heavily damaged areas, particularly from Peuy Tady to the Dragon Bridge at Gopura 5, and inspection of facilities at the base of the temple.
Following the meeting, member states and international experts pledged continued support for Cambodia’s preservation efforts.
-Khmer Times-
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