AKP Phnom Penh, July 26, 2025 -- The National Authority for Preah Vihear this morning made public a statement expressing its strongest condemnation of the aggression carried out by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Thailand on July 24-25, 2025. 

This aggression caused significant damage to the physical structure of the World Heritage Site of Preah Vihear Temple and its surroundings, which are precious historical and cultural heritage of the Cambodian people and hold outstanding universal value for humanity, read the statement.

The indiscriminate attacks, involving artillery shelling and the dropping of bombs by F-16 fighter jets, represent grave and unacceptable violations of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention aimed at strengthening protection of and accountability for cultural heritage, and the 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, to which Thailand is a State Party, it added. 

According to the statement, Thailand is a state member of the International Coordinating Committee for the Conservation and Enhancement of Preah Vihear Temple (ICC-Preah Vihear), established by UNESCO Executive Board Decision 195 EX/32 in 2014. This committee includes China and India as co-chairs, along with other member states such as Belgium, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, all of whom have the role and responsibility to contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the Preah Vihear Temple World Heritage Site. 

“In this regard, the National Authority for Preah Vihear expresses regret that Thailand has not fulfilled its obligations under international laws and conventions as a UNESCO member and as part of the World Heritage Committee. Instead, Thailand has directly engaged in serious destructive actions against this World Heritage property, causing the displacement of thousands of families and significant harm to civilians,” it underlined. 

The National Authority for Preah Vihear therefore strongly condemned these actions and demanded that the Thai forces immediately cease shelling the Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding area, including harm to civilians in Preah Vihear Temple area. 

The National Authority for Preah Vihear also reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the protection and preservation of the World Heritage Site of Preah Vihear Temple, even in the face of armed aggression from neighbouring countries. 

By C. Nika