Thai tourists visit troops at temple on Cambodian border to show support amid rising tension
BANGKOK: Thai tourists visit troops at Prasat Ta Muen Thom to offer food and moral support amid rising tensions with Cambodia over the disputed border temple.
Large numbers of Thai tourists visited Thai troops stationed at Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a historic Khmer temple on the Surin-Cambodia border, on Tuesday (June 3) to show moral support amid ongoing tensions with Cambodia.
Tourists flocked to the ancient site, located in Tambon Ta Miang of Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district, over the weekend and again on Tuesday — the final day of the four-day long weekend.
Many posed for photos with the soldiers guarding the temple, while others brought food and drinks to offer encouragement to members of the Suranaree Taskforce deployed at the site.
One visitor said she came specifically to express her appreciation to the troops after seeing a video clip showing Thai and Cambodian soldiers arguing over sovereignty at the temple. She called on fellow Thais to visit the site in large numbers to demonstrate that Prasat Ta Muen Thom rightfully belongs to Thailand.
Prasat Ta Muen Thom is one of several contested sites along the Thailand-Cambodia border, with both nations claiming overlapping, undemarcated areas.
Thailand asserts that the temple is located within its territory in Surin province, and regularly stations troops there to support its claim.
Cambodia, meanwhile, insists the temple is situated in Oddar Meanchey Province and under Cambodian jurisdiction.
Tensions escalated in February 2025 when Cambodian soldiers and civilians visited the temple and filmed themselves singing the Cambodian national anthem.
Thailand viewed the act as a provocative assertion of sovereignty, prompting a confrontation with Thai troops and a formal protest by the Thai government. - The Nation/ANN
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