Phnom Penh: At the UNESCO session held in Busan, Republic of Korea, with the participation of 162 member states, as well as international organizations, partners and observer institutions, the Thai delegation did not dare to respond directly to the violations and destruction of heritage properties caused by the Thai military.
According to the press release on the outcome of the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, the session unanimously condemned the destruction of World Heritage properties during armed conflict, in accordance with the decision taken on 28 July 2026, as stipulated in the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1970 Paris Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2199 (2015), 2253 (2015) and 2347 (2017). The session also called on States Parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of heritage properties and to avoid the use of heritage sites for military purposes.
Speaking at the session, as a partner institution of UNESCO, the delegation highlighted the destruction of World Heritage Sites in the Asia-Pacific region, which required accountability. and condemnation in accordance with international law. The delegation also highlighted the importance of connecting civilizations and World Heritage Sites through the ancient sister city network to promote peace and conflict resolution, and encouraged the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the protection and conservation of cultural heritage.
The Thai delegation, in particular, requested an immediate response and the chairman of the session allowed only one minute to speak. The delegation did not dare to directly respond to the violations and destruction of heritage properties caused by the Thai military in the past, but stated in defense that Thailand focuses on protecting the buffer zone around the entire heritage core area, not just a part of the temple, in the sense of demanding that Thailand still has a role to play in protecting world heritage and continue to cooperate with other countries in the region.
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