Cambodian minister tells UNESCO members Thai troops remain around Preah Vihear Temple

Cambodia’s culture minister told UNESCO members that Thailand continued to maintain its troops in areas around and near Preah Vihear Temple, alongside other unilateral activities affecting Khmer cultural heritage within Cambodia’s sovereign territory. She said these actions posed a risk of further damage to the temple and reflected an intention to create a fait accompli on the ground.

ភឿង សកុណា, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, made the remarks at the 48th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, held from July 19 to 29, 2026, in Busan, Republic of Korea.

She thanked the Republic of Korea for its warm hospitality, as well as the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and all international partners for their continued support for Cambodia’s efforts to conserve and protect the World Heritage site of Preah Vihear Temple.

The minister further told the meeting that the wars of aggression in July and December 2025 had severely damaged this World Heritage property, affecting its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), integrity and authenticity. She said temple structures had been severely damaged by direct attacks, while local communities remained displaced and were still unable to access normally the sacred sites that form part of their cultural heritage, traditions, religion and identity.

She added: “With support from UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund and other international partners, Cambodia has implemented a number of emergency measures. These include clearing cluster bombs and artillery fragments, producing 3D documentation of the temple, protecting vulnerable structures, and inventorying and documenting architectural fragments to support future conservation and restoration.”

The minister further stressed: “These efforts cannot be fully realised as long as the threat to the site persists — namely, the presence of Thai troops in areas around and near Preah Vihear Temple within Cambodia’s sovereign territory.”

The Cambodian delegation also requested that the World Heritage Committee continue to closely monitor the site’s condition, support urgent conservation and restoration, and reaffirm the importance of respecting international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage.
For the minister, the tragedy that had befallen Preah Vihear Temple was a reminder to the international community that protecting World Heritage means protecting peace, dialogue and humanity’s shared responsibility. By ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត