Displaced Thousands Remain After Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict, Ministry Says

PHNOM PENH, June 6, 2026 (KPT) – Displaced families numbering more than 29,000 remain unable to return home following the Cambodia–Thailand border conflict, Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior said Friday, despite the vast majority of residents having gone back since a ceasefire took effect in December 2025.

The ministry reported that nearly 620,000 people — about 95 percent of those uprooted — have returned to their homes. But 29,028 individuals, including 14,936 women and 9,782 children, remain displaced, unable to resume normal life in border provinces.

Public services continue to face disruption. Eight schools and five hospitals or health centres in Oddar Meanchey Province remain closed, alongside five schools and one health facility in Banteay Meanchey, and seven schools and two health facilities in Preah Vihear.

The ministry noted that no new damage to infrastructure has been recorded since 7 December 2025, beyond previously documented cases.

The statement accused Thailand of failing to fully comply with commitments outlined in the Joint Statement of the Third Special Meeting of the Cambodia–Thailand General Border Committee, signed after the ceasefire on 27 December 2025.

Cambodian authorities, it said, continue to document alleged violations while pursuing legal and diplomatic channels.

The ministry also expressed support for the Cambodian government’s decision, announced on 2 June, to initiate compulsory conciliation proceedings under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The move followed Thailand’s withdrawal from a 2001 Memorandum of Understanding.

Calling on Cambodians at home and abroad to support Prime Minister Hun Manet’s efforts, the ministry said the objective was to restore sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and stability along the border, and to enable affected communities to resume normal life.