Over 20,000 Still Displaced Despite Thai Ceasefire, Cambodia Alleges Occupation

PHNOM PENH, July 6, 2026 (KPT) – Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior said Monday that more than 20,000 people remain unable to return home following recent border clashes with Thailand, alleging that Thai forces continue to occupy and damage villages despite a ceasefire agreement. In a statement covering July 4–5, the ministry reported that 20,923 civilians were still displaced, out of more than 640,000 who fled their homes during the conflict. Those unable to return include 10,674 women and 6,066 children, according to the figures. Authorities said residents remain blocked from returning because villages are “occupied and damaged” by Thai troops. Thailand has not publicly responded to the latest allegations. The ministry added that schools and health facilities in several provinces remain closed. Eight schools and five hospitals or health centres in Oddar Meanchey, five schools and one hospital in Banteay Meanchey, and seven schools and two hospitals in Preah Vihear were reported still out of service. Officials said the closures continue to disrupt education and healthcare for thousands of families, compounding the hardship faced by displaced communities. No new cases of property damage were recorded beyond those already documented, but Phnom Penh reiterated its protest against what it described as continued violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity. It accused Thai forces of installing barbed wire at two sites in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey on July 2, actions Cambodia says breach the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding on land boundary demarcation between the two countries.