1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple lies battered after Cambodia-Thai border clashes

Its been three months since a ceasefire ended bitter border fighting between Cambodia and Thailand but signs of combat are cut deep in this 11thcentury temple atop a 525metre cliff in the Dangrek Mountain rangeThe neighbouring Southeast Asian countries have been fighting over Preah Vihear temple on and off for decades and thats putting the ancient holy site in dangerBuilt by the same Khmer Empire that constructed Angkor Wat 160 kilometres southwest the temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 and are held as an important cultural relic by CambodiansBut after two rounds of major combat last year much of the structure is damaged and Cambodian officials say that parts of it may be in danger of collapseTheres lots of wreckage but no touristsWhere tourists once admired the weatherbeaten structures elaborate carvings and a magnificent view over the Cambodian plains there is now stone debris artillery craters and the ashes of burnt vegetationThe temple has turned quiet and its beauty looks so sorrowful because of the tragedy Hem Sinath archeologist and deputy directorgeneral of the National Authority for Preah Vihear told Associated Press journalists visiting earlier this monthThe site is closed to tourism due to unstable walls and concern about the presence of unexploded ordnanceAreas are roped off and dotted with signs warning of land mines a hazard Cambodians know well after decades of civil war that ended in the late 1990 Conservation staff groundskeepers and troops remain stationed in and around the temple from which Thai soldiers can be seen just across the borderAll five of the temples notable gateway pavilions were damaged three almost beyond recognition according to a damage assessment issued in January by Cambodias Culture MinistryAn ancient northern staircase previously restored by a USfunded conservation project sustained severe hits from repeated bombardmentA statement issued last week by Cambodias Culture Ministry said the temple had suffered damage in 142 locations during the fighting in July and at 420 more during heavier and more sustained combat in DecemberExperts have predicted that during the upcoming rainy season some structures on the verge of collapsing could finally fall Hem Sinath saidNo independent outside evaluations of the damage are availableCambodia charges temple was deliberately attackedInformation Minister Neth Pheaktra accused the Thai military of relying on false information to justify incursions and of deliberately damaging the templePreah Vihear temple belongs to all humankind It is not an enemy of Thailand he wroteInternational law forbids attacks on important historical sites like the temple but Thailand has argued that Cambodia militarised the temple by installing weapons systems storing ammunition and using the site as a base for surveillance equipment voiding its wartime protectionThis included a tall construction crane at the site which the Thai army attacked after claiming it served as part of a military command and control systemThai Army spokesperson Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree has insisted that Thai forces directed their fire strictly at military targetsCambodia denies that its military ever used the temple with its Ministry of Culture writing in a statement that the temple is under civilian control and that any security forces present were there only to protect the cultural heritage siteEach nation blames the other for starting the fighting that flared in July and December Cambodia has reported that more than 640000 people were displaced from border regions during the fighting and almost 37000 have yet to return to their homesThe temple has been contested for decadesThe temple known as Phra Viharn to Thais has been at the centre of a longstanding boundary dispute since the 1950s In 1962 the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple and surrounding area of less than five square kilometres belong to Cambodia The Court reaffirmed this ruling in 2013For years it drew visitors from both sides of the border with many foreign tourists arriving via Thailand before the border was closedIts designation by UNESCO as a Cambodian heritage site in 2008 rubbed salt into Thai wounds and heightened nationalism stoked by domestic politics in Thailand contributed to sporadic armed conflict at the temple in 2008 and 2011Restoration will be a challengeRestoring the temple will be a major challenge Hem Sinath fears that weakened structures could collapse during the rainy season which normally begins in late May or early June and continues through OctoberIndia China and the United States have been involved in previous renovation efforts but funding has been on hold since fighting broke outHem Sinath said that new and urgent projects needed to keep the temple from deteriorating further are being hindered by concerns for safety and security while the ceasefire remains fragileWe have a plan we want to do a repair the sooner the better but as you see it depends on the situation along the border he said