{
  "id": 8859696,
  "title": "Cambodian responds with Khmer Empire history but no new evidence on disputed photos",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/cambodian-responds-with-khmer-empire-history-but-no-new-evidence-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T06:17:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Thaiger",
    "slug": "the-thaiger",
    "url": "https://thethaiger.com/news/cambodian-writer-responds-khaosod-english-khmer-history"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cambodian writer Tesh Chanthorn has urged Thai and Cambodian parties to stop treating history as a contest, following Thailand’s Culture Ministry presenting archival records showing that photographs used at a Cambodian beauty pageant were taken in Thailand over a century ago. Chanthorn, in an article published in Phnom Penh Post, noted that the Angkorian Khmer Empire predates Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya by centuries, but cautioned against claiming Cambodia is 550 years older than Thailand as a modern country. He emphasized that historical pride should be based on evidence, not exaggerated chronology or dismissing neighboring peoples. The dispute centers on images shown during Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 preliminary round, which were described as “Khmer dress and ancient Khmer culture.” Culture Minister Sabida Thaiseth clarified that the photographs depict women from Kamphaeng Phet province and were taken in 1906 during King Chulalongkorn's reign. The photographs belong to the Royal Photographic Glass Plate Negatives collection at the Vajirayana Royal Library, a UNESCO Memory of the World register since 2017. The Thai Culture Ministry has sent a warning letter to the pageant organizers requesting them to correct the presentation, aiming to avoid a broader government dispute. Chanthorn's article, titled \"The Weight of Civilisational Antiquity,\" focused on the chronology of the Khmer Empire, from 802 CE to the emergence of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, highlighting the achievements of the Angkor Wat, Bayon, and water-management systems. He urged shared regional history to foster scholarship, cultural preservation, and mutual understanding, rather than hostility between Cambodian and Thai people.",
  "summary": "An opinion article published by the Phnom Penh Post argues that the Khmer Empire predates the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya kingdoms. However, it does not provide new archival evidence addressing the central dispute over historical photographs identified by the Thai side as depicting people in Thailand. The story Cambodian responds with Khmer Empire history but no new evidence on disputed photos as…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}