After a Dec. 27 ceasefire, Cambodian rights group LICADHO says Thai forces razed homes in disputed border areas of Banteay Meanchey province, citing satellite imagery and media footage. Cambodia accuses Thailand of seizing villages and installing barbed wire and containers; Thailand denies illegal annexation, saying its measures comply with the truce. The December clashes killed dozens, displaced many, and more than 127,000 Cambodians remain displaced, according to officials.
After Ceasefire, Rights Group Says Thai Forces Razed Cambodian Homes in Disputed Border Villages
Containers and barbed wire are seen blocking a road in Chouk Chey village in early January, following military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand (-)(-/Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP)/AFP)
Thai forces have razed homes and other structures inside contested border zones in Cambodia following a Dec. 27 ceasefire, a Cambodian rights group said on Tuesday, increasing tensions between the neighbouring countries.
LICADHO — a local human rights organisation — reported that a "significant number of homes and structures" in Thai-controlled parts of two villages in Banteay Meanchey province "have been razed and cleared by Thai forces" after the truce. The group said the demolitions took place in areas claimed by both countries, as well as on land both sides recognise as belonging to Thailand and land both sides recognise as Cambodian.
The organisation cited imagery from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites and photographs and footage published by media outlets to support its findings. LICADHO added that the post-ceasefire clearance "serves no legitimate military objective" and said the destruction of civilian homes during a conflict breaches the Geneva Conventions and international human rights law.
Claims and Counterclaims
Cambodia has accused Thailand of seizing several areas across four border provinces and demanded the withdrawal of Thai troops from territory Phnom Penh says it controls. Bangkok rejects the allegations and insists its forces are positioned on land that has always belonged to Thailand. A Thai foreign ministry statement dated Jan. 12 denied any illegal annexation and said "security measures undertaken by the Thai forces following the ceasefire are in full compliance" with the truce.
The Thai army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on Tuesday.
Human Cost
Earlier clashes last year — rooted in a long-running dispute over colonial-era demarcation lines and contested temple sites along the roughly 800-kilometre border — killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands. Officials have said fighting in December displaced about one million people across both countries; Cambodia's interior ministry says more than 127,000 Cambodians remain displaced.
Tep Chheang, 43: "We lost everything now. I have four children and I don't know where we will live."
Tep Chheang, who said his home in Chouk Chey was burned during December fighting, told AFP the village is now blocked by barbed wire and rows of shipping containers. Village chief Pen Rithy said roughly 880 families were prevented from returning to Chouk Chey and residents could hear excavators clearing land behind the container barrier.
"It is like we are being buried alive. Our homes, land and belongings are gone," Pen Rithy said, adding that residents do not know when they will be able to return.
What’s Next
Diplomatic tensions remain high as both sides present competing maps and justifications for their positions. International monitoring, satellite imagery and independent reporting are likely to play a continuing role in verifying claims as calls for restraint and respect for civilian protections intensify.
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