BANGKOK: Thailand on Thursday defended its military’s demolition of a Hindu statue along the border with Cambodia, saying the removal was carried out to assert control in a disputed frontier area.
A Cambodian official responded angrily to the destruction of the statue of the Hindu deity Vishnu, after more than two weeks of military clashes between the neighbours.
The Preah Vihear provincial spokesman said it was built in 2014 on Cambodian territory and knocked down on Monday.
Hindu-majority India’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that “such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place”.
But the Thai government said on Thursday that the statue’s removal was “related to security considerations and area administration and not intended to disrespect any religion or beliefs”.
“The said structure was not connected to any religion, but was merely a decorative piece at a location along the Thailand-Cambodia border,” it added.
In a separate statement, Bangkok said that the statue was “not installed as a registered or officially recognized religious site”.
“More importantly, its removal was undertaken with the objective of affirming effective control of the area,” according to the Thai government.
It expressed “sincere regret for any discomfort that may have arisen from misunderstandings” due to the circulating images.
Videos showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue using a backhoe circulated widely on Thai social media pages this week.
AFP verified the footage and confirmed it was filmed near the disputed An Ses area. A Google Maps search showed the statue’s location was around 400 metres (1,300 feet) from the border, on the Cambodian side.
The neighbour’s long-standing border conflict reignited this month, killing 23 people in Thailand — almost all soldiers — and 21 civilians in Cambodia, according to official counts.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting, and they have traded accusations of attacks on civilians.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters on Thursday that “a destroyed statue cannot compare to soldiers’ lives or limbs”.
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