\n<\/p>\n
Preah Vihear, Cambodia — <\/span>it’s been three months ceasefire<\/a> The bitter border battle between Cambodia and Thailand has ended, but the scars of the battle are deeply cut into this 11th-century temple atop a 525-metre (1,722-foot) cliff in the Dengrek mountain range.<\/p>\n Neighboring Southeast Asian countries have been fighting over the Preah Vihear temple for decades, putting the ancient holy site in danger.<\/p>\n Built by the same Khmer Empire that built Angkor Wat 160 kilometers (100 mi) southwest, the temple was declared a. UNESCO<\/a> It was designated a World Heritage Site in 2008 and an important cultural relic by the Cambodian people.<\/p>\n But after two rounds of major fighting last year, much of the structure has been damaged and Cambodian officials say parts of it may be at risk of collapse.<\/p>\n Where tourists once admired the weather-beaten structure’s detailed carvings and spectacular views of the Cambodian plains, there is now stone debris, artillery craters and ashes of burnt vegetation. <\/p>\n “The temple has fallen silent, and its beauty looks very sad because of the tragedy,” Hem Sinath, archaeologist and deputy director general of the National Authority for Preah Vihear, told Associated Press journalists who visited earlier this month.<\/p>\n The site is closed to tourism due to concerns about unstable walls and the presence of unexploded ordnance. Areas have been cordoned off and warning signs have been put up landmines<\/a>After decades of civil war, which ended in the late 1990s, Cambodians are well aware of this danger. Conservation staff, grounds guards and soldiers are stationed in and around the temple, from which Thai soldiers can be seen across the border.<\/p>\n According to a damage assessment released in January by Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture, all five of the temple’s notable entrance pavilions were damaged, three almost beyond recognition. An ancient northern staircase that was previously restored by a US-funded conservation project was seriously affected by repeated bombings.<\/p>\n A statement issued last week by Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture said the temple was damaged in 142 locations during fighting in July and in 420 locations during heavier and more sustained fighting in December.<\/p>\n \u201cExperts have predicted that during the upcoming rainy season, some of the structures on the verge of collapse may eventually collapse,\u201d Hem Sinath said.<\/p>\n There is no independent external assessment of the damage available.<\/p>\n Information Minister Neth Pheaktra accused the Thai military of relying on false information to justify the incursion and deliberately damaging the temple.<\/p>\n He wrote, “Preah Vihear Temple belongs to all mankind. It is not the enemy of Thailand.”<\/p>\n International law prohibits attacks on important historical sites such as the temple, but Thailand has argued that Cambodia militarized the temple by installing weapons systems, storing ammunition and using the site as a base for surveillance equipment, thereby undermining its wartime security. This included a tall construction crane at the site, which was attacked by the Thai military after claiming it was part of a military command and control system.<\/p>\n Thai military spokesman Major General Winthai Suveeri stressed that Thai forces directed their fire strictly on military targets. <\/p>\n Cambodia denies that its military ever used the temple, with its culture ministry writing in a statement that the temple is under civilian control and any security forces present there were only to protect the cultural heritage site.<\/p>\n Each nation blames the other for starting the fighting that erupted in July and December. Cambodia reported that more than 640,000 people were displaced from border areas during the fighting, and approximately 37,000 have still not returned to their homes.<\/p>\n The temple, known as Phra Viharan in Thais, has been at the center of a long-running border dispute since the 1950s. In 1962, International Court of Justice<\/a> The ruling ruled that the temple and the surrounding area of \u200b\u200bless than five square kilometers (two square miles) belonged to Cambodia. The court reaffirmed this decision 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n For years, it attracted tourists from both sides of the border, with many foreign tourists coming through Thailand before the border was closed.<\/p>\n Its nomination by UNESCO as a Cambodian heritage site in 2008 rubbed salt into Thai wounds, and nationalism driven by domestic politics in Thailand contributed to sporadic armed conflict at the temple in 2008 and 2011. <\/p>\n Renovating the temple will be a big challenge. Hem Sinath fears that the weak structures could collapse during the rainy season, which usually begins in late May or early June and continues through October. <\/p>\n India, China and the United States have been involved in previous renewal efforts, but funding has stalled since the fighting began.<\/p>\n Hem Sinath said that new and urgent projects needed to prevent further deterioration of the temple are being hindered due to security concerns while the ceasefire remains fragile.<\/p>\n He said, “We have a plan; we want to make repairs \u2013 the sooner the better, but as you can see, it depends on the situation at the border.”<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Preah Vihear, Cambodia — it’s been three months ceasefire The bitter border battle between Cambodia and Thailand has ended, but the scars of the battle are deeply cut into this 11th-century temple atop a 525-metre (1,722-foot) cliff in the Dengrek mountain range. 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