AKP Phnom Penh, September 30, 2026 --

H.E. Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), said the bombing and shelling that damaged Preah Vihear Temple were planned and strategic actions carried out under authoritative command.

He made the remarks while attending the 11th Technical Session of the International Coordinating Committee for Preah Vihear (ICC-Preah Vihear), held at Sokha Siem Reap Hotel and chaired by H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia.

According to H.E. Heng Ratana, Thailand used bombs, artillery shells and drones in what he described as aggressive actions that caused damage to the Preah Vihear Temple.

He said the attacks were not accidental but constituted a planned and strategic campaign aimed at destroying the historic temple, adding that the Thai side could not deny the nature of the actions.

H.E. Heng Ratana stressed that Preah Vihear Temple is a unique masterpiece of world heritage created by the Khmer ancestors and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. He noted that damage to such an important historic site would require considerable time and resources for restoration and maintenance.

During the 11th Technical Session, the Chinese and Indian co-chairs of the ICC-Preah Vihear reaffirmed their continued support and close cooperation with the Royal Government of Cambodia to conserve and restore Preah Vihear Temple after the World Heritage site sustained extensive damage following heavy-weapons attacks in 2025.

Following the incident, the ICC-Preah Vihear Ad-hoc expert team conducted an on-site assessment of the temple area, from Phnom Ta Di through Gopura I to Gopura V, which was identified as the most severely affected area.

The ICC-Preah Vihear assessment followed a joint UNESCO-ICOMOS mission conducted in March 2026, which documented 562 damaged locations within the Preah Vihear Temple complex from the strikes in 2025.

UNESCO said the scale and severity of the damage to Preah Vihear Temple were unprecedented, warning that the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage site was under threat.

The UN cultural agency further noted that “almost no area of the temple has been left undamaged.”

By C. Nika