On 22 June 2008 the Cambodian Government closed the border crossing to Thailand at the Preah Vihear temple after 150 Thai demonstrators claiming the ruins belong to Thailand rallied Sunday within 300m of the border-hugging temple.

The demonstrations come as a Cambodian Government delegation is scheduled to lobby UNESCO for the temple’s inscription as a World Heritage site. The demonstrators held banners denouncing the Thai Government’s recent endorsement of Cambodia’s bid to list the temple as a World Heritage Site.

The Deputy National Police Commission explained ‘The Thai demonstrators have gathered near the temple. They are not normal tourists, so we closed the gate [border]. We do not know when it will open, it depends of the evolution of the situation’.

Thailand and Cambodia have long disputed the ownership of the temple and occasional border closures occur, despite the International Court ruling in the 1960s that the temple belongs to Cambodia.

Access is still possible from the Cambodian side however the roads leading to the temple are currently in a bad case of disrepair and very steep.

For Cambodia tours that include visiting Preah Vihear please email: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from The Cambodia Daily (24-6-08)