Monks demand justice after Thai airstrikes destroy pagoda, kill priest

Synopsis: Senior monks at Ta Moan Senchey Pagoda say the Thai military has committed a ‘heinous sin’ after airstrikes left the Buddhist sanctuary in ruins and a priest dead.Oddar Meanchey – Senior monks of Ta Moan Senchey Pagoda demanded justice after Thai airstrikes destroyed the Buddhist building, killing a priest and seriously injuring two others, during the five days of armed border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand.

The monks appealed for support to rebuild the pagoda and condemned the assault on Buddhist sanctuaries as a “heinous sin”.

Thai troops engaged in cross-border fighting with Cambodia from July 24 to 28, targeting civilians and deliberately destroying civilian infrastructure, including the pagoda in Banteay Ampil district, near the Ta Moan Temple complex.

On August 10, during a visit by the Military Attaché Corps Phnom Penh, made up of 14 representives of nine countries, to inspect sites damaged by Thai attacks, Venerable Lay Lon, Deputy Monk Chief at Ta Moan Senchey Pagoda, alleged that Thai forces had “almost completely destroyed this pagoda” using F-16 fighter jets and heavy artillery.

“Their strikes destroyed the temple, monks’ residences, the dining hall, and the kitchen – nothing was left intact,” the monk said, adding that the bombardment left the pagoda “completely damaged.”

He said Thai F-16 fighter jets launched two strikes, each dropping two bombs, in addition to sustained artillery shelling “on every part of the pagoda with the intent to destroy everything inside.”

The pagoda in Kok Mon commune had housed six monks and several clergy members before its destruction.

“This act by the Thai military is excessively brutal and unjustifiable. A pagoda, serving Buddhism, should never be attacked in such a manner,” he said. “I regard this as a criminal act – an act of cruelty and aggression against civilians, and particularly against religion.”

The monk appealed to the Buddhist community to help rebuild the pagoda, vowing that he “will never abandon it under any circumstances.”

He condemned the airstrikes and bombardment that targeted Buddhist sanctuaries and killed monks as a “heinous sin.”

Prum Chenda, a senior layman at the pagoda, said the Thai forces were “extremely cruel and savage.”

“They killed one (of us) and destroyed every part of the pagoda without leaving anything.”

The attacks reportedly left one dead and two others injured, and caused extensive damage to other civilian infrastructure, including Ta Moan Sen Chey Primary School, a commune health centre, a petrol station, and multiple homes in Banteay Ampil district near the Ta Moan Thom temple area.

According to local accounts, Thai forces dropped bombs from F-16 jets and fired cluster munitions prohibited by international law into civilian areas during the July 24 assault.

On Sunday, more than 2,500 Buddhist monks joined a large-scale peace walk in Phnom Penh, calling for respect for the ceasefire and the preservation of peace, security, and stability between Cambodia and Thailand.KhmerTime