Cambodian Ministry of Culture condemns Thai military’s shelling of Preah Vihear Temple

Cambodian Ministry of Culture condemns Thai military’s shelling of Preah Vihear Temple

On the morning of December 8, 2025, at around 5:00 a.m., the Thai military opened fire on Cambodian territory in the An Ses area of ​​Preah Vihear province, then fired at Ta Moan Thom temple and other locations along the border, using heavy weapons.

Until 7:00 am the same day, attacks by the Thai military continued to hit the area around and on the site of Preah Vihear Temple, destroying the conservation building of the Preah Vihear Temple Conservation and Restoration Project under Cambodia-India cooperation, located in the Preah Vihear Temple 5 complex, and other conservation infrastructure.

Since the Preah Vihear Temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List on July 7, 2008, the Thai side has created excuses and provoked armed conflict in the Preah Vihear Temple area several times between 2008 and 2011, and again on July 24-28, 2025.

The attack came after the Thai military had carried out countless provocative actions over the past few days, especially yesterday’s incident at the rock face in the Preah Vihear Temple resort area in Sre Em commune, Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear province, with the intention of inciting clashes with the aim of destroying the Kuala Lumpur peace agreement.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts would like to condemn the repeated incidents in the Preah Vihear Temple area, which have caused serious difficulties in the conservation efforts of the Preah Vihear Temple and the evacuation of officials, staff, guards, workers of the Preah Vihear National Authority, as well as residents in the area to safe places.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts would like to strongly condemn the violation of the Joint Statement on the Peace Agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, signed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, under the mediation and witnessing of Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, on October 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts calls on the Thai side to immediately cease all hostilities that threaten peace and stability in the region and to respect the ceasefire agreement, the Joint Statement on the Peace Agreement, and all obligations under international law in a firm, honest, and genuine manner.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts calls on the international community to condemn the Thai aggression against Cambodia’s territorial integrity and the continued destruction of the world heritage site of Preah Vihear Temple, in serious violation of the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which all States Parties to the Convention must strictly respect, and demands that Thailand be held fully accountable for this grave violation.