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Thai Army slams Cambodia's temple models as political distortion

Thai Army slams Cambodia's temple models as political distortion

Matichon•Politics•23m ago

Reader Briefing

The Royal Thai Army accuses Cambodia of using a cultural exhibition to falsely portray Thailand as an aggressor regarding disputed temples.

  • •Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree, Royal Thai Army spokesperson, issued a clarification on November 14 regarding a Cambodian exhibition.
  • •Cambodia displayed models of Preah Vihear, Prasat Ta Muen, and Prasat Ta Kwai temples at the Village de la Francophonie in Phnom Penh from November 13–17, 2026.
  • •The Royal Thai Army asserts that Cambodia used these ancient sites as military bases, causing the damage attributed to Thailand.
  • •The Royal Thai Army maintains that Prasat Ta Muen and Prasat Ta Kwai are located within Thai sovereignty.

Overview

  • •Cambodia organized the Village de la Francophonie exhibition in Phnom Penh from November 13–17, 2026, as a parallel activity to the 20th Francophonie Summit.
  • •Cambodia displayed models of Preah Vihear, Prasat Ta Muen, and Prasat Ta Kwai temples and allowed interviews claiming the sites were damaged by wars of aggression.
  • •Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree stated that Cambodia's narrative is a distortion of facts intended to play the victim for political gain.
  • •The Royal Thai Army claims Cambodia violated international humanitarian law by turning ancient sites into military bases with artillery and ammunition depots.
  • •The Royal Thai Army asserted that the use of weapons by Thai forces was a right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
  • •The Royal Thai Army confirms that Prasat Ta Muen (Ta Muen Thom) and Prasat Ta Kwai have always been under the sovereignty of Thailand.
  • •Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree warned that these actions incite extreme nationalism and contradict the peace ideology of the Francophonie Summit.
  • •Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree indicated that bilateral processes requested by Cambodia may not occur soon due to the breach of the ceasefire agreement.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree
"Cambodia's use of distorted information to communicate with society clearly violates the ceasefire agreement."
การที่กัมพูชาใช้ข้อมูลที่บิดเบือนสื่อสารต่อสังคมนั้น ยังขัดต่อข้อตกลงหยุดยิงอย่างชัดเจน

Key Entities

Person

Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree(พล.ต.วินธัย สุวารี)
Spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army.

Organization

Royal Thai Army(กองทัพบก)ℹ️
The Thai military body clarifying facts regarding temple disputes and Cambodian exhibitions.

Place

Cambodia(กัมพูชา)ℹ️
The country that organized the Village de la Francophonie exhibition in Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh(กรุงพนมเปญ)ℹ️
The city where the Village de la Francophonie exhibition was held.
Preah Vihear Temple(ปราสาทพระวิหาร)ℹ️
One of the three temples whose model was displayed by Cambodia.
Prasat Ta Muen(ปราสาทตาเมือน)
A temple site which the Royal Thai Army asserts is under Thai sovereignty.
Prasat Ta Kwai(ปราสาทตาควาย)
A temple site which the Royal Thai Army asserts is under Thai sovereignty.
Thailand(ประเทศไทย)ℹ️
The country accused by Cambodia of being an aggressor.

Law

1954 Hague Convention(อนุสัญญากรุงเฮก ค.ศ. 1954)
The convention cited regarding the loss of legal protection for cultural sites used for military purposes.
United Nations Charter(กฎบัตรสหประชาชาติ)ℹ️
The charter whose Article 51 was cited by the Royal Thai Army to justify self-defense.