Claim that Thai forces damage Preah Vihear dismissed

Thailand today rejected a claim by Cambodia that Thai forces have caused damage to the Preah Vihear Temple, a historical and a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree dismissed the claim as a “distortion of facts”.

He was responding to a claim made by Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts that that Thai forces had deliberately caused serious damage to the Preah Vihear Temple.

The ministry said in a statement that heavy artillery fire and aerial bombardments by Thai F-16 fighter jets have caused “serious and visible” damage to several key sections of the Preah Vihear Temple and its surroundings.

It said the site is protected under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, among other international agreements.

“Thai forces have clear targets in their counter action which is aimed specifically at Cambodian forces, not at civilians or any places not related to military operation,” said the Thai army spokesman.

He also insisted that the historical site is not in any way located in the line of fire. “It was clearly a distortion of facts,” he said of the Cambodian claim.