Amid the ongoing escalated tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, a large statue of Lord Vishnu was demolished by Thai authorities in a contested border zone, with Cambodia condemning the act as an assault on religious heritage and India expressing deep concern over the “disrespectful” destruction. While the Thai government claims that the statue was built in a Thai area occupied by Cambodia, the Cambodian government claims that it was in their territory.
Video footage widely shared on social media shows Thai military engineers using an excavator to topple the approximately nine-meter-tall statue of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu on December 22. The statue, erected in 2014, was located in the An Ses area of Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, near the border with Thailand.
A monument to a Hindu deity installed by Cambodia was torn down by Thailand’s army
Not a dismantling — more like a straight kick up the backside. Only instead of a foot, it was an excavator.
The irony is brutal. Both countries are Buddhist with deep Hindu roots. Hindus revere… pic.twitter.com/QzO0P5uWYx
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 23, 2025
Cambodian government spokesman Kim Chanpanha said that the place is 100-400 meters inside Cambodian territory. He stated, “We condemn the destruction of ancient temples and statues that are worshipped by Buddhist and Hindu followers.”
Thailand has not officially commented on the incident, but Thai social media users and military-affiliated sources have termed the demolition as the removal of an illegal Cambodian structure built to assert territorial claims in a disputed zone recently secured by Thai forces.
The incident unfolded amid intensified border clashes that resumed in early December 2025 after a fragile ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump collapsed. Fighting has centred on longstanding disputes along the 800-kilometer border, including areas near historic Khmer sites like the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear Temple, awarded to Cambodia by International Court of Justice rulings in 1962 and 2013. The conflict has resulted in dozens of deaths, widespread displacement, and accusations of damage to cultural sites from both sides.
Both nations share a profound Hindu-Buddhist cultural legacy, with deities like Vishnu integrated into Thai religious practices.
India’s Official Response
On December 24, 2025, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a formal statement on the matter, and said that such disrespectful acts should not take place as they hurt the sentiments of followers around the world.
MEA said in a statement, ” We have seen reports on the demolition of a statue of a Hindu religious deity, built in recent times, and located in an area affected by the ongoing Thai-Cambodia border dispute. Hindu and Buddhist deities are deeply revered and worshipped by people across the region, as part of our shared civilizational heritage.”
The statement added, “Notwithstanding territorial claims, such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place. We once again urge the two sides to return to dialogue and diplomacy, to resume peace and avoid any further loss of lives, and damage to property and heritage.”
Thailand-Cambodia conflict
Bilateral talks between Thai and Cambodian military officials are ongoing to restore a ceasefire, however, military strikes by both sides continue. Thailand, on 24 December, used American F-16 and Korean T-50 fighter jets to bomb Cambodian territory. Royal Thai Air Force F-16 jets bombed targets in Srei Snam district, Siem Reap province, and then T-50TH (FA-50) jets dropped cluster bombs in Sla Kram commune, Svay Chek district, Banteay Meanchey province.
These actions come as ASEAN-mediated talks continue, with both sides trading blame for violating ceasefires. Cambodia has described the strikes as “armed aggression,” while Thailand insists its operations target only military assets in response to Cambodian provocations. The conflict, reignited on December 7-8, has involved artillery, rockets, and repeated airstrikes, causing dozens of military and civilian casualties, widespread
