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New Delhi: Reacting to the demolition of a statue of Lord Vishnu at the Thailand-Cambodia border, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday said that such acts hurt the sentiments of followers worldwide. The said statue was reportedly destroyed by Thai forces after days of military clashes with Cambodia.
Issuing a statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Hindu and Buddhist deities are deeply revered across the region due to shared heritage. He added that such incidents should never take place.
“We have seen reports on the demolition of a statue of a Hindu religious deity, built in recent times, and located in an area affected by the ongoing Thai-Cambodia border dispute. Hindu and Buddhist deities are deeply revered and worshipped by people across the region, as part of our shared civilizational heritage,” he said in a statement.
He added, “Notwithstanding territorial claims, such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place. We once again urge the two sides to return to dialogue and diplomacy, to resume peace and avoid any further loss of lives, and damage to property and heritage.”
According to Preah Vihear's spokesperson Lim Chanpanha, the statue was located inside Cambodia in An Ses area. The demolition took place around 100 metres from the Thailand border. The statue was built in 2014. In videos that have gone viral, the demolition of the statue can be seen, which was done through a backhoe loader.
There were no signs of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the said viral video. There have been reports of military conflicts between two countries over a border dispute. On Wednesday, Thailand said that there had been clashes in the border provinces of Surin and Sisaket.
