UNESCO warns Cambodia–Thailand clashes threaten Preah Vihear heritage

UNESCO has voiced deep concern over renewed fighting between Cambodia and Thailand, warning that the escalating border conflict is putting cultural heritage in the area at risk, notably the Preah Vihear Temple, which is inscribed on the World Heritage List.

In a statement from Paris, the organisation called for the urgent protection of cultural heritage “in all its forms”, and reminded all sides of their obligations under international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention on the protection of cultural property during armed conflict and the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

UNESCO said it is closely monitoring the situation and has already shared the precise geographical coordinates of World Heritage properties and nationally important sites with the parties involved, in an effort to prevent accidental or deliberate damage.

The appeal comes amid reports of sharp military escalation along the border, with Cambodian authorities claiming that strikes have occurred near, and in some cases on, ancient temple sites.

UNESCO stressed that it stands ready to provide technical support and emergency safeguarding measures to protect cultural property “as soon as conditions allow”.

Preah Vihear Temple, dramatically located on a cliff along the Cambodia–Thailand frontier, has long been a symbol of cultural pride and a recurring flashpoint during periods of bilateral tension.

The latest statement underscores growing international alarm that the current clashes could inflict irreversible damage on irreplaceable cultural and historical sites in the border region.