@vann_saray: Message from the Minister of Information of Cambodia ———- Before accusing Cambodia, Thailand should also answer questions about its soldiers and weapons at Ta Mone Thom Temple. The Thai side’s allegation that Cambodia used Preah Vihear Temple as a military position cannot be used as an excuse or justification for the severe damage inflicted on Preah Vihear Temple, a World Heritage Site, by the Thai military during its armed aggression against Cambodian territory. Cambodia has rejected and categorically dismissed these unfounded and fabricated claims, which rely on images or videos that have not undergone independent verification of their location, timing, and context, and then conclude that each location attacked by Thailand was a military target. The presence of weapons in a particular image and the assertion that the location attacked at a specific time was a military target are two different matters. If Thailand is certain that it attacked only “military targets,” then it should present verifiable evidence. These questions cannot be closed by a single short video, especially when the severe damage to Preah Vihear Temple has been documented and examined on site by a joint mission of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS. The mission’s report was officially published by UNESCO and documented serious impacts on the integrity, authenticity, and Outstanding Universal Value of Preah Vihear Temple. There is another question that Thailand increasingly needs to explain: What about Gopura V, which was under a Cambodia–India conservation project, where damage was sustained and conservation materials and equipment were also reportedly destroyed? If Thailand claims that it attacked only military targets, the question is not simply, “Was the Indian conservation project a military target?” The more important questions are: If Gopura V was not a military target, where exactly were the targets that Thailand claims to have attacked, and how far were they from this conservation project? What types of weapons were used? And what precautionary measures were taken to protect the heritage site and the conservation project? It was not only Gopura V that was affected. Even the Cambodia–United States project to restore the ancient staircase, as well as structures associated with Cambodia–China cooperation at Preah Vihear Temple, also sustained damage. The Thai side, particularly the JIC, must also answer to the same standard of evidence that it is applying. Images that have been circulated show individuals wearing uniforms bearing Thai national insignia, carrying weapons, with tire barriers being used as defensive positions and trenches, during the period when the Thai military was carrying out its armed aggression against Cambodian territory. After the locations were verified, it was confirmed that these images were taken at Ta Mone Thom Temple. The JIC must answer one straightforward question: If the JIC uses images showing the presence of soldiers and weapons at a temple as evidence to accuse Cambodia of “using the temple as a military position,” why is the same standard of evidence not being applied to Thai soldiers, weapons, defensive barriers, and military vehicles at Ta Mone Thom Temple? Heritage protection laws and evidentiary standards cannot have one standard for Cambodia and another for Thailand. If the goal is to talk about the truth, then the whole truth must be presented. If the goal is to talk about the law, then the same law must be applied to oneself as well. The attached video is a video filmed and posted on social media by Thai soldiers during the period when they were invading Cambodian territory.

Vann Saray-វ៉ាន់ សារាយ

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Saturday 12 September 2026 06:29:48 GMT