Thailand clarified that the action was motivated by security concerns and asserted that the location was not an officially recognized place of worship and that the monument of Lord Vishnu was a later addition.
Thailand released a statement stating that the site of the statue was not a recognized place of worship and that the move was motivated by security needs and area management, one day after India expressed concern over the removal of a statue of Lord Vishnu amid the border hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia.
According to The Week, a statement from the Thai-Cambodian border press center stated, "The actions were solely for the purpose of area management and security, following the Thai side's regaining control of areas under Thailand's sovereignty, and were not intended to involve religion, beliefs, or disrespect any sacred entities."
Following more than two weeks of military skirmishes between the two countries, a statue of Lord Vishnu was purportedly demolished by the Thai military on Monday. India described this as a "disrespectful act."
What was Cambodia's response to the destruction?
The Vishnu statue was within Cambodian territory, according to Kim Chanpanha, a government spokesperson in the border province of Preah Vihear, who earlier informed AFP.
According to Chanpanha, "the statue was in our area in the An Ses area."
Thailand's words
However, according to Thailand's statement, the "symbols" (statue) were built by Cambodian military to unlawfully assert their control over Thai territory.
"The Thai army successfully recovered the Chong An Ma area after the operation on December 22, 2025. The Hindu god statues next to the casino were later demolished by army engineers, which the Thai side saw as symbols built by Cambodian soldiers to unlawfully assert control over Thai territory, according to the statement.
Conflicts at the Thailand-Cambodia border
The debate surrounding the Vishnu statue's dismantling coincides with a recent spate of violent border confrontations between Thailand and Cambodia that resulted in at least 86 fatalities, according to Reuters.
Days after the neighbors decided to talk about resuming a truce following 16 days of intense border skirmishes, military officials from the two war-torn countries reportedly started negotiations on Wednesday.
Thai defense ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri reportedly stated that Bangkok was "very hopeful that the meeting will have positive outcomes" during the talks, which are scheduled to last until Saturday.
The long-standing territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the division of their 800-kilometer border during the colonial era and a scattering of ancient temple remains on the border are the causes of the conflicts between the two countries.
Following five days of combat in July that claimed dozens of lives, each side has accused the other of starting the new violence on December 7 and exchanged claims of attacks on civilians.
0 Comments