A visual guide to the historical maps and temples at the heart of the Thailand-Cambodia conflict

"Thailand and Cambodia have been locked in a border dispute for more than a century, which exploded again in the summer of 2025. Peace efforts have had mixed results and fighting continues. A historical dispute over lines drawn on colonial maps is often used as a pretext for simmering nationalism. The two countries have had what one historian called a sibling rivalry for decades, fanned by competing claims to the region's rich cultural heritage, including ancient temples in disputed areas."

"Beginning in the early 20th century, a series of Franco-Siamese treaties pushed the frontier northwards and expanded Cambodia's territory. The 1904 treaty first redefined parts of the border, using a natural ridge-line as a key geographical marker. A subsequent 1907 treaty delivered a more substantial shift, with Siam ceding the provinces of Battambang, Siem Reap and Sisophon to French Indochina. These agreements helped establish much of the modern Cambodia-Thailand border and significantly expanded Cambodia's territory to the north and north-west."

"This means that the border region is now dotted with ancient Khmer stone temples that are cherished by both sides. Map showing the loation of three temples Moving the border north to follow the Dangrek escarpment a ridge-line that also runs alongside a watershed dividing river systems flowing into Cambodia and Thailand meant that several important temples came to lie close to the border. But the treaties left their exact ownership open to interpretation with different historic maps being referenced by both sides."

A century-old territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on borders altered during French colonial rule and competing claims to ancient Khmer temples. Franco-Siamese treaties in 1904 and 1907 shifted the frontier northward, expanding Cambodia by incorporating Battambang, Siem Reap and Sisophon. Moving the border to the Dangrek escarpment placed several important temples close to or within disputed areas. Different historic maps and treaty interpretations have left exact ownership ambiguous. Nationalist sentiment has repeatedly inflamed the dispute, producing sporadic fighting and mixed results from peace efforts. The dispute escalated again into renewed clashes in summer 2025.

Read at www.theguardian.com