Phnom penh: Minister of Information H.E. Neth Pheaktra has reported extensive damage to the Temple of Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as a result of the 2025 hostilities. This damage has been thoroughly documented through international assessments and technical surveys, and the physical evidence remains visible on the ground.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the Minister shared on Facebook that a report by the Joint UNESCO World Heritage Centre-ICOMOS Advisory Mission, which cited documentation from the National Authority for Preah Vihear, recorded 142 damage locations at the Temple during the July 2025 hostilities. A further 420 locations were documented during the December hostilities, bringing the total to 562 recorded damage locations.

The report noted that the scale of the recent damage was unprecedented compared to previous conflicts and significantly affected the integrity, authenticity, and Outstanding Universal Value of the Temple of Preah Vihear. The findings were supported by technical surveys conducted by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), which identified 501 impact craters attributed to aerial bombs, artillery fire, and drones. Specifically, 78 impact craters were documented from the July hostilities and 423 from the December 2025 hostilities.

CMAC also documented evidence of MK-82 aerial bombs, cluster munitions, and 105mm, 125mm, and 155mm artillery shells. Additionally, there was damage to the Temple's ancient causeway, foundations, walls, pillars, lintels, pediments, and various parts of its five Gopuras. The Minister drew attention to the damage at Gopura V, where a Cambodia-India conservation project was underway. Photographs taken before the hostilities depicted ongoing conservation work, while images and video footage captured afterward showed extensive damage, including the collapse of a crane in the conservation area.

Minister Neth Pheaktra emphasized that the documented figures-142 damage locations in July, 420 in December, totaling 562 damage locations across the Temple, and 501 impact craters-are physical evidence that can be seen, documented, measured, and independently verified. He stressed the importance of the Temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage property of humanity, asserting that while narratives and interpretations may vary, the documented physical evidence at the site remains indisputable.

He concluded that the 562 documented damage locations and 501 impact craters at Preah Vihear stand as evidence that cannot simply be rewritten.