Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has expressed its “strongest condemnation of the aggression” carried out by Thailand’s military, saying that the targeting of Preah Vihear temple — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — “may constitute war crimes.”
In a statement Thursday, the ministry called the strikes a “grave and unacceptable violation of international law” and a “blatant disregard” for legal obligations to protect cultural heritage.
The strikes caused “significant damage” to both the “surrounding area and the structures” of the temple, it said. The temple, it added, is a “sacred cultural site and historical legacy of the Cambodian people.”
The ministry claimed Thailand’s “aggressive actions” are both a “cultural disaster and a moral tragedy,” warning of “far-reaching consequences for global heritage and the national identity of the Cambodian people.”
The ministry demanded the stop to military activity near the temple.
Cambodia’s defense ministry said earlier Thursday that a Thai F-16 fighter jet had dropped two bombs on a road near the 11th-century temple as clashes erupted at several flashpoints along the two countries’ disputed border.
