New Delhi: India has condemned the demolition of a Hindu deity’s statue in a Cambodian temple complex by the Thai military amid ongoing border clashes, saying that such actions hurt the sentiments of devotees around the world.
The statue of Lord Vishnu was allegedly destroyed by the Thai military on December 22 after over two weeks of military clashes between the two nations. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the deity at the Thailand-Cambodia border is deeply revered and worshipped by the people in the region and is part of shared civilizational heritage.
The Vishnu statue, built in 2014, was toppled by a bulldozer by Thai military engineers, the Hindustan Times reported. A video showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue circulated on social media, sparking outrage. Cambodia also slammed Thailand for destroying the Hindu statue in the disputed border area.
The border clashes between the two Southeast Asian nations erupted in July this year. Though the two countries agreed on a ceasefire in July brokered by US President Donald Trump, the fight resumed this month.
