 "People who fled their homes near the border between Cambodia and Thailand gather at a food distribution site on the grounds of a pagoda in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia © Tang Chhin Sothy, AFP")
A Cambodian official has accused Thailand over vandalising a Hindu statue in a disputed border area, after more than two weeks of military clashes between the neighbours.
A government spokesperson Kim Chanpanha said, “The statue was inside our territory in the An Ses area.”
It was found that the location of the statue was around 400 metres from the border line, according to the google map.
“We condemn the destruction of ancient temples and statues that are worshipped by Buddhist and Hindu followers,” Chanpanha said.
The border conflict reignited this month, killing more than about 40 people and displacing around a million of them, according to the count shared by the officials.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting and have traded accusations of attacks on civilians.
Cambodia has also repeatedly alleged that Thai forces have damaged temple ruins along the border during the clashes, with Bangkok saying that Phnom Penh was positioning soldiers at the centuries-old stone structures.
AFP analysed the footage using AI-detection tools, which found no signs of AI manipulation.
Thai officials said the four-day meeting would begin on Wednesday in Chanthaburi province, but Phnom Penh has yet to confirm attendance.