Buddha statue built in place of Hindu one on disputed Thai-Cambodia border
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Video footage showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue using a backhoe was circulated widely on Thai social media pages in December 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Thailand built a Buddha statue on its disputed border with Cambodia, replacing a removed Hindu deity likeness.
- Cambodia criticised the statue as violating ceasefire de-escalation, while Thailand denies any insult intended.
- The statue aims to boost Thai morale; the conflict stems from a territorial dispute and past deadly fighting.
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BANGKOK – A Buddha statue has been built on Thailand’s disputed border with Cambodia, Bangkok’s army said on Jan 24, the same site where it knocked down and removed a likeness of a Hindu deity in December 2025.
The South-east Asian neighbours have traded barbs over the statues placed in the contested area since December 2025 when a ceasefire ended three weeks of deadly fighting, the latest eruption in their years-long dispute.
That month, Thai forces destroyed a likeness of the Hindu deity Vishnu
Cambodian officials condemned the move, while Thailand said it was necessary
On Jan 21, Phnom Penh said Thai armed forces had installed a Buddha statue at the site, adding that the act was “inconsistent with de-escalation measures” in the ceasefire.
The Thai army on Jan 24 accused Cambodia of “distortions”.
The Buddha statue “was not intended to insult or undermine the beliefs of any party”, it said in a statement.
“This was carried out within the framework of religious freedom and belief, as well as to boost morale among Thai citizens in the area.”
Both Cambodia and Thailand are Buddhist-majority countries.
Their long-standing conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre border.
Fighting in December 2025 killed dozens of people on both sides.
Since the truce, Cambodia has said Thailand has seized several areas in border provinces, and has demanded the withdrawal of Thai troops from the territories that both sides claim. AFP
