As part of a Cambodian parliamentary observation team, I visited the border village of Anseh in Choam Ksan district in Preah Vihear province on July 30.

The team was led by H.E. Suos Yara, chairman of the National Assembly Commission on Foreign Affairs, International Co-operation and Media – hence the inclusion of numerous representatives of the Ministry of Information.

Our two-hour presence on the frontlines facing Thai forces coincided with a Ministry of National Defence mission for foreign military attachés from Australia, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

The visit to the border included Cambodian, Chinese, French and Japanese media.

Broken remnants of the Shrine

As our team arrived at the remote border crossing — usually open only two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) — we were immediately struck by the destruction of Lok Ta Om shrine, a monument dedicated to a legendary Khmer general, in the centre of the Anseh roundabout.

The adjacent market serving the border-crossing point had also been destroyed, along with hundreds of dwellings.

We were told that the destruction was caused by artillery shelling by Thai forces that took place earlier in the week, between 24 and 28 July.

All that remained of the shrine were broken concrete remnants of the statue of Lok Ta Om astride his horse, a fallen Cambodian flagpole and various items of cultural significance such as “naga” sculptures and traditional “kbach” decorations used in traditional roofs and walls.

Numerous craters were visible in and around the rubble and on the surface of the road.

‘Guardian spirit’

The shrine, we were told, was a longstanding vernacular place of worship in Cambodia’s “neak ta”tradition.

Local people venerate Lok Ta Om as the guardian spirit of the Anseh area.

Other historic generals similarly venerated in Cambodia include Lok Ta Dambang Kra Nhoung in Battambang, whose statue is located on a roundabout entering the city from the south, and General Oknha Khleang Moeung. His statue is a few kilometres from the town of Pursat.

According to Chea Kimseng, former governor of Chaom Ksan district, an enormous “thlok” tree (Parinari anamensis) located near the market may have been the original site of the neak ta shrine dedicated to Lok Ta Om. He said he recalled the tree — known as Annamese burada in English — from his childhood.

The contemporary monument, whose construction dates back to 2009, continued the tradition of Anseh (meaning “Horse Valley” in English) by providing a place for worship and gathering for local people and cross-border traders, the former governor said.

While I was there, I observed offerings and prayers being made with candles and incense in the rubble near the one remaining naga that was still standing.

A bystander highlighted its significance and symbolism by remarking that the Thai attack had not managed to subdue the naga – a revered serpent deity often regarded as a symbol of Cambodia related to the country’s creation myth more than 1500 years ago, as indeed is the thlok tree.

In the Mekong Delta — where the pre-Angkorian kingdom known as Funan emerged in the 1st century — thlok trees are believed to have grown on sacred high ground known as “tuol” or “kok” that were not inundated during annual floods, giving Cambodia the ancient names of Tuol Thlok and Kok Thlok.

Both the seeds and fruits of the thlok tree are edible. Oil from the seeds is used to coat silverware and paper umbrellas. It is also used to make soap, binding materials, paint, ink and lacquerware.

Today, thlok trees can still be seen growing on raised ground near Phnom Da, an ancient temple in Takeo province dating back to the Funan Kingdom, and inside the grounds of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap, guarding the approach to the former celestial palace of the Angkor Empire.

Cultural vandalism

As we awaited the arrival of the military attachés from Phnom Penh, about a dozen Thai soldiers and border patrolmen looked on from nearby, photographing our movements and approaching us from the no-man’s land between Cambodian and Thai territory on two occasions.

The Lok Ta Om shrine is similar to monuments at crossroads and roundabouts across Cambodia. They typically feature images of local agricultural produce or individuals of significance to the area.

Given its similar spiritual and cultural significance, the Lok Ta Om shrine deserves to be protected under various national laws and regulations as well as international conventions.

In Cambodia, national protection is accorded by the 1993 Constitution (Chapter 6 article 69) and the 1996 Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

The law provides an in-depth explanation of the obligations of states, citizens and procedures for participating in the protection of cultural heritage, including historical sites. (Section 2 article 6).

The destruction of Lok Ta Om may well constitute a war crime under the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949.

Under Article 53 on the protection of cultural objects and of places of worship, it is prohibited to:

(a) commit any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples;

(b) use such objects in support of the military effort; and

(c) make such objects the object of reprisals.

Cultural vandalism of this monument and other shrines and wats needs to be recorded and redressed even if they do not rise to the level of “cultural property of great importance” – as required to invoke international conventions such as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

This has been the case regarding recent Thai attacks on the World Heritage site of the Temple of Preah Vihear and a series of temples in the Cambodian province of Oddar Meanchey, including Tamone Thom and Tamone Thom Senchey.

Republished from Agence Kampuchea Presse, 20 August 2025

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.