India voices concern over demolition of Hindu deity statue

Amid Thailand—Cambodia border dispute

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

The Indian government on Wednesday raised concerns over the reported destruction of a statue of a Hindu deity in the area affected by the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which it asserted has been causing distress to the cultural heritage of the region as a whole.

In response to queries by media houses, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the government is aware of reports that the recently built statue is located in a region where border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have long been a concern. This region periodically flares up due to longstanding disputes over territorial ownership. In effect, both Thailand and Cambodia consider this region as a flash point.