Thailand says Hindu statue removed to control border area
Video footage showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue using a backhoe was circulated widely on Thai social media pages this week.
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BANGKOK – Thailand on Dec 25 defended its military’s demolition of a Hindu statue along the border with Cambodia, saying the removal was carried out to assert control in a disputed frontier area.
A Cambodian official responded angrily to the destruction of the statue of the Hindu deity Vishnu, after more than two weeks of military clashes between the neighbours.
The Preah Vihear provincial spokesman said the statue was built in 2014 on Cambodian territory and knocked down on Dec 22.
Hindu-majority India’s foreign ministry said on Dec 24 that “such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place”.
But the Thai government said on Dec 25 that the statue’s removal was “related to security considerations and area administration, and not intended to disrespect any religion or beliefs”.
“The said structure was not connected to any religion, but was merely a decorative piece at a location along the Thailand-Cambodia border,” it added.
In a separate statement, Bangkok said the statue was “not installed as a registered or officially recognised religious site”.
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“More importantly, its removal was undertaken with the objective of affirming effective control of the area,” according to the Thai government.
It expressed “sincere regret for any discomfort that may have arisen from misunderstandings” due to the circulating images.
Video footage showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue using a backhoe was circulated widely on Thai social media pages this week.
AFP verified the footage and confirmed that it had been filmed near the disputed An Ses area.
A Google Maps search showed that the statue’s location was around 400m from the border, on the Cambodian side.
The neighbours’ longstanding border conflict
reignited in December
, killing 23 people in Thailand – almost all soldiers – and 21 civilians in Cambodia, according to official counts.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting, and they have traded accusations of attacks on civilians.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters on Dec 25 that “a destroyed statue cannot compare to soldiers’ lives or limbs”. AFP
ANN/THE STRAITIMES
-The Phnom Penh Post-
