Six weeks after a ceasefire halted fighting along the Thai Cambodian border, thousands of Cambodian residents remain unable to return home, while Thailand’s nationalist election victory and proposed border wall have deepened uncertainty about a lasting peace.
Villages divided and residents waiting
In Banteay Meanchey province, 59 year old Proeung Sopheap visited her abandoned house in Prey Chan village for the first time since the December clashes. She collected belongings and cooking utensils before leaving again.
“I don’t know what led to this fighting,” she said. “Like other Cambodians, I want peace, not war.”
Prey Chan and nearby Chouk Chey remain partly cut off after Thai authorities installed barbed wire fencing reinforced with shipping containers along disputed land they say lies inside Thailand. Thai officials report residents on their side have returned home, but Cambodian authorities estimate about 80% of homes and farmland in the two communes remain inaccessible. More than 4,600 people are still in temporary shelters.
Pich Vorn, displaced from Chouk Chey, said he only wants to go back. “Even if it is small, it is where I have lived for many years.”
Thailand said the barriers, introduced “to enhance safety and security along the border”, comply with the December 27 ceasefire agreement.
The clashes were the deadliest in more than a decade, killing at least 149 people and displacing hundreds of thousands across the 817 kilometre frontier. They followed the collapse of a July truce and continued a long pattern of mutual accusations of aggression.
Historic dispute and damage to heritage
The border conflict stems from early twentieth century colonial mapping by French surveyors between Siam and French Indochina, often diverging from natural boundaries such as the Dangrek Mountains. Cambodia’s independence in 1953 intensified competing claims.
In 1962 the International Court of Justice awarded sovereignty of the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia based on a 1908 map, though surrounding territory remained contested. Deadly fighting also erupted from 2008 to 2011 after UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage site.
Cambodian officials now report bullet holes, dents and unexploded ordnance at the 11th century temple following the recent clashes. The Thai foreign ministry declined comment.
“It is truly regrettable to see a World Heritage site fired at and destroyed like this,” said Pheng Sam Oeun, deputy director general of the National Authority for Preah Vihear temple.
Cambodia has submitted damage reports to UNESCO and begun emergency stabilisation. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre is clearing cluster munitions and unexploded shells. Authorities closed more than 40 schools in Preah Vihear province while clearance teams prioritise hospitals, pagodas and homes.
On the Thai side, the army reported a soldier lost a limb after stepping on a landmine in Sisaket province. At least 12 Thai soldiers have been injured by mines in disputed areas since July.
Thai politics and election result
The 2025 conflict intensified amid political turmoil in Thailand. A leaked June phone call between former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen triggered the Bhumjaithai party’s withdrawal from government. Paetongtarn’s court ordered removal in August elevated Anutin Charnvirakul to prime minister.
Tensions escalated into airstrikes and artillery exchanges in December, prompting UNESCO to call for heritage protection.
In Sunday’s general election Anutin’s Bhumjaithai party won 193 seats in the 500 member House of Representatives, its strongest result. The reformist People’s Party secured 118 seats and Pheu Thai 74.
Anutin announced a coalition with Pheu Thai.
“We will work together as a government and manage the country so we can do good things for the country,” he said. “Please erase any misunderstandings from the past. We would like to work together, govern the country together.”
Pheu Thai secretary general Prasert Chanruangthong confirmed the agreement. “We have no conditions for working with any party. Our priority is for the country to move forward for the greatest benefit of the people.”
The party’s backing from former premier Thaksin Shinawatra gives the coalition a clear majority, though observers expect political bargaining to continue.
Uncertain return
As demining operations continue and diplomatic contacts resume, residents remain unable to rebuild their lives. For many along the frontier, the immediate concern is not geopolitics but access to land, homes and schools.
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