Cambodia: Le Figaro Magazine devotes a major report to the « forgotten » war with Thailand

In its 28 August 2026 edition, Le Figaro Magazine publishes an in-depth field investigation into the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, written and photographed by journalist Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris. A rare long-form treatment from a mainstream title, bringing renewed attention to a crisis too often overshadowed by Western headlines.

Cambodian soldiers in front of a building damaged by shelling. © Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris

A rare long-form piece in mainstream media

This report stands out in the French media landscape. For once, a major magazine takes an in-depth look at an international conflict largely overshadowed by Western crises: the fighting that has pitted Thailand against Cambodia along their shared border since July 2025. Under the headline 'The Border of Hate', Le Figaro Magazine devotes several pages to a war that has killed hundreds, driven tens of thousands of civilians from their homes, and damaged Angkorian heritage sites listed by UNESCO, including the renowned Preah Vihear temple.

On the ground with Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris

Carried by the writing and photography of Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris, the report documents the military confrontation itself — a deeply uneven fight between a far larger and better-equipped Thai army and ageing Cambodian forces — as well as its human toll: refugee camps in Banteay Meanchey province, displaced families, destroyed pagodas, and serious casualties among both civilians and combatants.

The piece also traces the roots of the dispute back to the border drawn under the Franco-Siamese agreements of 1904 and 1907, the successive International Court of Justice rulings recognising Cambodian sovereignty over Preah Vihear, and the internal political shifts in Thailand that accompanied the military escalation. It further examines the economic networks and oligarchies on both sides of the border entangled in the territorial conflict.

Asked about the destruction of the temples, Cambodia's Minister of Culture, Sackona Phoeurng, said every stone that falls tears away a piece of the Khmer soul.

A personal connection for Pierre-Yves Clais

This report carries particular meaning for Pierre-Yves Clais. The man who worked behind the scenes to help make it happen says he actively lobbied for Le Figaro Magazine to take up the story. Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris, the reporter behind it, is a longtime friend: the two men met when he served as an officer with UNTAC, the United Nations mission in Cambodia in the early 1990s.

Pierre-Yves Clais recalls that the photojournalist spent six months staying with him while working on the report — a stay that ended eventfully, with a serious motorcycle accident from which Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris has since recovered.

On view at the Visa pour l'image festival

Jean-Luc Moreau Deleris' photographic work is currently on display at the Couvent des Minimes in Perpignan, as part of the Visa pour l'image festival, running until 13 September 2026. Directed by Jean-François Leroy and Delphine Lelu, the free photojournalism festival presents around twenty exhibitions and six evening screenings each year, showcasing the best of international photo reporting.