(Phnom Penh): The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts informed the general public that, on the morning of 25 July 2025, at the Ministry’s headquarters, Minister Phoeurng Sackona convened a meeting with representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of India and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, who serve as Co-Chairs of the International Coordinating Committee for the Conservation and Enhancement of the Temple of Preah Vihear (ICC-Preah Vihear), as well as the Head of the UNESCO Office in Phnom Penh.

"The purpose of the meeting was to inform them of the serious damage inflicted on the Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding areas as a result of aggressive actions by the Thai armed forces, including the use of heavy artillery and the dropping of bombs by F-16 fighter jets," according to a press release seen by Fresh News on Friday (Jul. 25).

"During the meeting, Minister Phoeurng Sackona expressed deep concern over the consequences of the armed clashes, which are causing significant and visible damage to essential parts of the temple, particularly Gopuras I, II, III, and V, as well as to the core architectural structures of the site. It was emphasized that the Preah Vihear Temple is protected under several international conventions on heritage protection, especially the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

The minister urged the co-chairs of the ICC-Preah Vihear and the UNESCO Representative in Phnom Penh to take immediate measures to safeguard the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from further damage caused by the activities of the Thai armed forces. She also called on UNESCO to activate its existing mechanisms, particularly its advisory bodies, to assess the impacts and include the findings in the upcoming discussions of the World Heritage Committee."
=FRESH NEWS