The Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site straddling Thailand and Cambodia, bears deep scars from recent border clashes. Artillery fire has pockmarked its ancient sandstone walls, while a collapsed column and destroyed carvings mark the damage. The fighting, which left dozens dead and displaced hundreds of thousands, forced Cambodia to close the site. Ten thousand annual visitors before the pandemic are now barred, crippling local economies dependent on tourism. Cambodia accuses Thailand of deliberately targeting the temple, while Thailand claims it struck Cambodian military positions nearby.

The conflict stems from a decades-long border dispute over the 500-mile frontier, with Thailand insisting on a natural watershed line and Cambodia on a colonial-era map. International law mandates both nations protect cultural sites, but the temple remains a potent symbol of unresolved nationalism threatening shared history.