The Thailand-Cambodia border has been tense for months, and things got even more heated on December 22, 2025. That’s when Thai military engineers tore down a statue of Lord Vishnu near the Chong An Ma crossing in the An Ses area.
Thailand–Cambodia Border Row Deepens
The clashes between the two countries were still going on when this happened. Cambodia had put up the Vishnu statue back in 2014, but Thailand claimed the demolition was about asserting its sovereignty over the area.
Now, Thailand’s stirred up even more controversy. They’ve put up a statue of Lord Buddha right where the Vishnu statue once stood. Thailand calls it a “morale-boosting religious step.”
Cambodia Slams The Move
Cambodia isn’t having it. They’ve slammed the move as “provocative.” India jumped in, too, saying the demolition hurt religious sentiments not just in the region, but worldwide. India urged both sides to settle their dispute through talks, not confrontation.
The Thai army says it put up the Buddha statue to support locals and soldiers in the area, not to make a political statement. Thai officials insist the whole thing is about religious freedom and boosting morale, not stirring up trouble.
They also accuse Cambodia of spreading “false information” about their motives.
But Cambodia’s furious. Officials in Phnom Penh say Thailand’s actions break the spirit of the ceasefire and undermine efforts to calm things down.
Border Tensions Turn Religious
Cambodia insists the original Vishnu statue stood on its territory and condemns the destruction of temples and statues important to both Buddhists and Hindus. Kim Chanpanha, a spokesperson from Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, says the statue was inside Cambodian land and calls the demolition unacceptable.
A bit of background: The border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia first flared up in July. After several days of violence, both sides agreed to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.
But fighting broke out again in December 2025, which led to the demolition of the Vishnu statue at the border. The dispute is far from over, and tensions are still running high.
