UNESCO Warns Preah Vihear at Risk as Cambodia–Thailand Clashes Escalate

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 11, 2025) — UNESCO has sounded the alarm over renewed armed clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, warning that World Heritage sites—including the sacred Preah Vihear Temple—face grave danger as fighting intensifies along the disputed frontier.

In a statement, the agency voiced “strong concern” about military activity near Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of immense historical and spiritual importance to the Khmer people. It urged both countries to honor obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention on protecting cultural property during armed conflict and the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

UNESCO said it has shared the coordinates of all relevant heritage sites with both governments to help prevent accidental or deliberate damage, and pledged to provide technical assistance once conditions allow.

The warning follows Cambodia’s repeated appeals for international intervention after what officials describe as destructive cross border attacks by Thai forces. Cambodian authorities say artillery fire has damaged parts of the Preah Vihear complex, prompting calls for stronger global action.

Keo Remy, president of the Committee for Human Rights and the Committee to Foster Peace, criticized what he called inadequate international attention. “Despite repeated damage to World Heritage property caused by Thai soldiers, no experts or relevant institutions have stepped forward,” he said. “The ancient stones of the temple are calling for help.”

Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts condemned Thailand’s “aggressive actions” and “continued destruction” of the Preah Vihear area, saying the reported attacks violate multiple international treaties. Officials also reported damage to civilian homes, public infrastructure, and other sacred sites, including Ta Krabey Temple, a centuries old Khmer sanctuary now shattered by heavy weapons.

As UNESCO intensifies monitoring, the crisis is drawing renewed global attention—not only for its human toll but for the threat it poses to irreplaceable cultural heritage that belongs to all humanity.