27/07/2025
Historical Context Leading Up to the The Preah Vihear Temple Dispute
P.S. Full sources linked down below. I've also used a bunch of AI tools to help research and write this. More coming in over the next few days.
The roots of the conflict lie in early 20th-century treaties between French colonial authorities in Cambodia and the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand). A 1904 Franco-Siamese treaty and a subsequent 1907 border commission produced maps that placed the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple on the Cambodian side of the frontier, even though the treaty said the boundary would follow the watershed line (opendemocracy.net).
For decades, Thailand (Siam) did not object to the French-drawn Annex I map showing Preah Vihear in Cambodia, effectively acquiescing to Cambodian sovereignty over the temple (opendemocracy.net). After Cambodia’s independence in 1953, Thai forces occupied the temple in 1954, prompting Cambodia to sue at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1959 (cambodialpj.org).
In June 1962, the ICJ ruled in Cambodia’s favor. By nine votes to three, the Court found that “the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia” and that Thailand was obliged to withdraw all personnel from the temple “or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory.” (cambodialpj.org). The ICJ also ordered Thailand to return artifacts removed from the site (cambodialpj.org). Thailand begrudgingly accepted the 1962 judgment – Thai authorities withdrew their troops, and the temple has since been under Cambodian control (asiasociety.orgcambodialpj.org).
However, the boundary in the immediate surrounding area (a 4.6 km² tract) remained ill-defined, as Thailand argued the ICJ verdict covered only the temple proper and not adjacent ground (csis.org). A joint land boundary commission formed in 1997 failed to resolve this lingering uncertainty (cambodialpj.org).
The dormant dispute reemerged dramatically in 2008 amid rising nationalist sentiment in both countries. That year, Cambodia’s successful bid to have Preah Vihear Temple designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (July 2008) was seen in Bangkok as a challenge to Thai claims (csis.org).
Thai opposition figures seized on the UNESCO listing to accuse Bangkok’s government of ceding sovereignty, whipping up public anger (csis.org). In July 2008, nationalist protests and political pressure in Thailand led to the deployment of Thai troops around the temple, which Cambodia met with its own troop buildup (csis.org).
The border became “increasingly militarized” as over 1,200 soldiers from both sides occupied positions near Preah Vihear (csis.org). Occasional skirmishes and shootouts occurred in subsequent years. Tensions spiked in early 2011: in February, the arrest of Thai nationalist trespassers near the temple sparked heavy exchanges of fire between Thai and Cambodian forces (csis.org).
Fighting continued off and on through April 2011, spreading to nearby sectors, and involved artillery shelling around Preah Vihear and other temple sites. In total, the 2008–2011 clashes claimed at least 28 lives and displaced some 36,000 residents along the border (asiasociety.org). Observers noted that by 2011 the two countries were arguably “closer to war than any two standing [ASEAN] members” had ever been (iilj.org).
With firefights intensifying, Cambodia pursued diplomatic and legal avenues to de-escalate the conflict. It brought the matter to the United Nations Security Council in February 2011 and, in April 2011, filed a formal request at the ICJ for an interpretation of the 1962 judgment – essentially asking the Court to confirm that the temple’s surrounding area (the promontory) also belongs to Cambodia (csis.orgcsis.org).
Thailand’s position was that the ICJ had ruled only on the temple itself and that adjacent territory was still disputed, since Thailand never accepted the 1907 map as legally binding (csis.org). While the ICJ deliberated, it issued provisional measures in July 2011: both sides were ordered to withdraw troops to create a provisional demilitarized zone around Preah Vihear, and Thailand was told not to obstruct Cambodian civilian access to the temple (cambodialpj.org). This helped cool down active hostilities.
Finally, on 11 November 2013, the ICJ delivered its clarification. In a unanimous decision, the Court reaffirmed Cambodia’s sovereignty over the whole Preah Vihear promontory (the high ground on which the temple sits) and ruled that Thailand must withdraw any remaining forces from that vicinity (cambodialpj.org).
In essence, the ICJ found that its 1962 judgment had already awarded Cambodia not just the temple but the immediate surrounding territory necessary to ensure Cambodia’s unimpeded access and authority (cambodialpj.orgscmp.com). (The status of a nearby hill, Phnom Trap, outside the temple promontory was left to further bilateral negotiation (iilj.org)).
Both governments pledged to abide by the 2013 ruling, bringing a formal end to the Preah Vihear standoff. The temple dispute, long a flashpoint of nationalist fervor, appeared settled in Cambodia’s favor through legal means.
Sources:
1. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/preah-vihear-the-thai-cambodia-temple-dispute/
2. https://www.cambodialpj.org/article/affirming-cambodias-sovereignty-over-stones-that-express-our-essence-icjs-interpretation-of-its-judgment-in-the-temple-of-preah/
3. https://www.csis.org/analysis/thailand-cambodia-spar-un-court-over-preah-vihear-temple
4. https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/commentary-thailand-cambodia-border-crisis-spells-trouble-asean
5.https://iilj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ciociari-Request-for-Interpretation-of-the-Judgment-of-15-June-1962-in-the-Case-Concerning-the-Temple-of-Preah-Vihear-2014.pdf
