Cambodia-Thailand Ceasefire Holds as 512,263 People Remain Displaced

Border Calm Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Waiting to Return

More than half a million people remain displaced in Cambodia as a ceasefire with Thailand brings growing calm to a border region battered by fighting. The Cambodian Ministry of Interior puts the number still unable to return home at 512,263, with damaged infrastructure, safety concerns and unexploded ordnance keeping families away from their villages.

Four days after the ceasefire took effect, some families have begun returning, but recovery remains precarious. The truce was implemented over the period from 6pm on December 31 to 1pm on January 1. Its practical test now extends beyond stopping gunfire: communities need safe roads, functioning schools, healthcare and homes they can live in.

The fighting erupted in early December after earlier clashes in July and killed dozens of civilians and soldiers. Nearly one million people were displaced on both sides of the border during the conflict. The scale of the emergency has strained resources in both countries and tested regional diplomacy.

Cambodian authorities say preparations for resettlement have been completed in 172 villages, while another 84 remain inaccessible and require clearance and assessment. Those figures show why a ceasefire and a return to normal life are separate stages of recovery. Families may have permission to return but still need a safe route, an intact house and essential services.

The dispute concerns the demarcation of an approximately 800-kilometer border and ancient temples along it. Fighting has also damaged civilian buildings, disrupted livelihoods and left children spending weeks away from classrooms. For people in temporary shelters, the immediate concern is whether the new calm can last long enough to make returning home possible.

How the Fighting Developed

Cambodia and Thailand have disputed parts of their border for decades. The disagreement stems from boundaries drawn during the colonial period and competing claims around ancient temple ruins. Demarcation means determining exactly where a border runs on the ground, rather than simply agreeing that two countries share a frontier.

Preah Vihear, an 11th-century temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Cambodian side of the border, has been a central point of contention. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belongs to Cambodia, while surrounding territory remains disputed. Days of fighting near the temple in 2011 caused casualties on both sides.

Tensions eased in subsequent years before a minor clash involving soldiers from both countries reignited them about two months ago. Contested areas included Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai temples in Thailand's Surin province, alongside areas in Cambodia's Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces.

Two landmine incidents injured Thai soldiers in July. Mutual accusations of provocation accompanied worsening skirmishes, followed by a major confrontation on December 8 that spread across nearly every province along the border.

• 1962: The International Court of Justice ruled that Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia.
• 2011: Fighting near the temple caused casualties on both sides.
• July 24, 2025: The violent border conflict began the period covered by human rights groups' casualty and displacement figures.
• July 28: Sombat Socheata described surviving an attack during an attempted evacuation in Oddar Meanchey.
• December 8: A major military confrontation expanded the fighting along the frontier.
• December 31 to January 1: The ceasefire implementation period ran from 6pm to 1pm.

Civilians Bear the Cost

Human rights organizations recorded at least 43 deaths and more than 300,000 people displaced by the violent border conflict since July 24, 2025. December's escalation forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes within days, bringing displacement across the two countries close to one million.

Thai police said Cambodian rocket and artillery attacks on the first day of major fighting in July struck a hospital, a grocery store and residential dwellings, killing 14 civilians, including children aged 8 to 15. The Thai health ministry subsequently gave a death toll of 12, primarily civilians, and reported dozens wounded.

December's clashes brought heavy weapons into use on a scale and at an intensity not seen in decades of border tensions. Thailand, which has a more modern military, used F-16 fighter jets for airstrikes, while Cambodia fired rockets that set Thai homes ablaze.

Thailand's air force dropped bombs in Kompong Svay District in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey Province. The strikes were reported to have targeted weapons storage sites. Thailand's use of cluster munitions drew condemnation from human rights organizations, which said their deployment in inhabited areas violated international norms, although Thailand is not a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Unexploded ordnance includes explosive weapons that remain dangerous after fighting ends. Along with landmines, these remnants can threaten residents trying to reach their houses or resume daily activities. Cambodian authorities identify them as a major obstacle to resettlement.

Schools and Healthcare Remain Closed

Banteay Meanchey province has 321 schools and seven hospitals or health centres still closed. Only limited government services have resumed. In Preah Vihear, 61 schools and 14 health facilities remain out of operation.

Oddar Meanchey has suffered the widest disruption, with more than 200 schools and dozens of local administrative offices still shut because of security concerns. Thai authorities have reported closures of 852 schools and seven hospitals on their side of the border.

UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific June Kunugi, speaking from Bangkok, urged both countries to protect children and the services they depend on. She said:

"Children must be protected at all times and their safety and wellbeing must be prioritised, while schools must remain safe spaces for learning," she said.

The World Health Organization documented a 75% decrease in the number of internally displaced people in Cambodia between August 6 and 14. Internally displaced people are those who flee their homes but remain within their own country. The organization also warned that health infrastructure remained severely compromised, with many health centres needing repairs to water supplies and other basic systems before full operations could resume.

Returning families therefore face more than the loss of classroom time or a longer journey to a clinic. Schools and health facilities need safe buildings, working water systems and access for staff and residents. The closures leave essential parts of community life interrupted even where fighting has stopped.

Relief Efforts Reach Displacement Sites

World Vision International in Cambodia supported more than 109,000 people between June and September 2025 across 56 displacement sites. Its work covered the heavily affected provinces of Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey.

The assistance included emergency food packages benefiting 75,544 people, water and sanitation support for 60,127, and shelter materials for 109,134. The organization also established 56 spaces for children, benefiting 1,151 children through activities intended to provide continuity in learning and psychological support.

Those emergency spaces offer children some structure during displacement, but they cannot replace the formal education system across a border region where hundreds of schools remain closed. Families also need food, clean water and shelter while waiting for conditions at home to improve.

World Vision has outlined three priorities for the coming months: continue lifesaving support at displacement sites, particularly in health, protection and education; help returning families recover through cash transfers, livelihoods and renewed access to essential services; and conduct joint assessments of migrants returning from Thailand to guide a longer response.

Cash transfers provide money that families can use for their immediate needs, while livelihood support concerns the work and income they rely on. These measures address the period after emergency evacuation, when a household may be able to return but still lack the means to rebuild daily life.

Diplomacy Brings a Truce and a Prisoner Release

The ceasefire followed two days of difficult talks between the countries' defence ministers. Its surprise announcement came amid growing pressure from the United States and China to halt the fighting.

Thai Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit described the initial 72 hours as a testing period for a more enduring peace. At a news conference, he explained how the agreement would be assessed:

The cease-fire will be monitored and observed for 72 hours to confirm that it is real and continuous," he said. "Once the situation stabilizes, civilians will be able to safely return to their homes.

The release of 18 Cambodian soldiers held in Thailand since July was a central part of the agreement. Their detention had inflamed nationalist sentiment in Cambodia, and securing their return was a major Cambodian demand during negotiations.

Thailand delayed the handover by a day over concerns about alleged ceasefire violations. The soldiers were eventually released after sustained Chinese diplomatic pressure. Thailand's foreign ministry called the release a "demonstration of goodwill" and said it hoped Cambodia would "reciprocate this goodwill through its concrete actions." Cambodia's defence ministry said it "remains hopeful" the release would build "mutual trust and confidence."

Both countries have accused the other of violating the truce. Thailand alleged that Cambodia flew more than 250 unmanned aerial vehicles into Thai territory. Despite these accusations, the ceasefire appears to be holding, allowing relief operations to expand and some displaced residents to consider going home.

The United States, China and the UN Respond

The UN Security Council held an emergency private meeting on what officials described as the most serious escalation between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade. The United States and China launched diplomatic efforts at nearly the same time.

US President Donald Trump, who has presented himself as a global peacemaker, claimed credit for helping mediate the ceasefire. In a Truth Social post, he wrote:

The United States of America, as always, was proud to help! With all of the wars and conflicts I have settled and stopped over the last eleven months, EIGHT, perhaps the United States has become the REAL United Nations.

China hosted two days of talks in Yunnan province involving Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn. As the talks concluded, China's first shipment of emergency humanitarian supplies arrived at Phnom Penh's Techo International Airport, including tents, blankets and food.

The diplomatic work addressed both the military confrontation and its immediate human consequences. Talks helped sustain pressure for a halt to fighting and the soldiers' release, while emergency supplies supported civilians who remained away from home.

Damaged Homes, Explosives and Heritage Sites

The Cambodian Interior Ministry says 84 villages remain inaccessible pending further clearance and assessment. Both countries have committed to clearing landmines along their shared border, but the work will be dangerous and take time. No completion date has been given.

Preliminary assessments recorded damage to at least 117 civilian houses, as well as schools, government offices and religious sites. Damage was also recorded at private homes, hotels, gas stations, rice barns, bridges, roads and electricity facilities.

These losses affect how a community functions after residents return. Damaged roads and bridges restrict movement, electricity damage interrupts services, and losses to homes and rice barns affect shelter and livelihoods. Repairing a house is only one part of making a village usable again.

Shelling also damaged the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear Temple and a Buddhist pagoda, prompting concern about protecting cultural and religious places during armed conflict. Khaosod English, a Thailand-based news website, described the transformation of these sacred spaces:

"The current militarization of these sacred spaces represents a profound irony: sites once dedicated to spiritual harmony and cross-cultural exchange now serve as flashpoints for nationalist tensions, surrounded by barbed wire and military installations rather than pilgrims seeking enlightenment," the publication noted.

The Cambodian Ministry of Interior says it is coordinating with national and local authorities to repair homes, restore public services and provide security in affected areas. Preparations in 172 villages represent progress, but hundreds of thousands of people remain in temporary accommodation while clearance and rehabilitation continue.

Families Describe Escape Under Fire

Youk Menglong, a Cambodian studying in Thailand, described the burden carried by residents living between the two armies. Menglong urged people away from the fighting to consider those exposed to it:

Those of us living near the border carry the heaviest burden. We are not the ones cheering war from safe distances in Bangkok or Phnom Penh. We are the ones whose lives are being torn apart," Menglong said. "Right now, families on both sides are suffering. So before anyone rushes to support this senseless war, think of the disabled, the elderly, the sick, and especially the children - children who are now learning to distinguish the sound of drones and missiles before they learn to read.

Sen Sokha, a guard at Preah Vihear temple, described escaping bombing attacks in comments to Cambodian media outlet Kiripost. Sokha recounted sheltering while trying to leave the mountain:

"We had to hide in a temple as the bombs flew around. We hadn't even made it halfway down [the mountain], when they suddenly destroyed the place where we were hiding. Luckily, we managed to escape. When they fired, we all hid to avoid the boom, sometimes tripping and falling into ditches," Sokha recounted.

Sombat Socheata survived a Thai military drone attack on July 28 in Kon Kriel village, Samrong City, Oddar Meanchey province. Her account described repeated attempts to evacuate with her family:

"I started to evacuate around 8:30 am. When we heard loud explosions, we immediately started running to the car. Before we could get to the car, a large bomb fell nearby and we were scared, so we decided to run to the shelter that we had dug in preparation. We waited until 12pm when the sound of explosions were silent. Again, we ran to the car, but bombs fell nearby again and we had to run to the shelter again until 2pm when we could move out from there," Socheata said.

Crime Networks, Fuel Restrictions and Migrant Risks

Alongside the territorial dispute, allegations involving human trafficking and cybercrime have added to tensions. Thailand's operations against cyber-scam compounds in Cambodia have been identified as another source of friction between the countries.

The compounds are connected to human trafficking and criminal networks. Estimates put Cambodia's scam industry at $12.5 billion USD, and allegations suggest some illicit profits may indirectly fund elements of the government, worsening mistrust. These claims form part of the wider tensions surrounding the conflict.

Thailand has also been preparing plans to stop fuel shipments into Cambodia. Maritime enforcement authorities have been tasked with controlling vessels registered in Thailand that might be delivering gasoline, or even weapons, to support Cambodia's armed forces. The proposed restrictions add an economic dimension to efforts to resolve the confrontation.

Migrant workers have faced risks away from the battlefield, with reports of attacks targeting Cambodian workers and even Myanmar workers in Thailand. Myanmar independent media organization Mizzima connected those incidents to public hostility surrounding the conflict:

this case is a reminder that public sentiment and the realities on the street are closely linked, and migrants often suffer due to conflicts they cannot control.

World Vision's planned joint assessments of migrants returning from Thailand address another part of the humanitarian response. People returning across the border may need support alongside families displaced from villages within Cambodia.

Recovery Depends on Sustained Calm

Cambodia's government says the ceasefire does not compromise the country's sovereignty or territorial integrity. Border issues will continue to be addressed through existing international mechanisms. Officials have also expressed support for Prime Minister Hun Manet's "Quiet but Not Silent" approach, which they said contributed to the safe return of the detained soldiers.

Civil society groups from both countries have signed statements calling on their governments to restore stability and respond to the humanitarian crisis. Human rights group Forum Asia focused on the safety of border communities, saying:

civilians living in the border areas should not have to live in fear.

Calls for all parties to avoid actions that inflame tensions reflect the immediate stakes: renewed fighting would threaten civilians, interrupt relief work and delay returns. Continued de-escalation is essential to preventing a broader humanitarian crisis.

For families still in temporary shelters, the ceasefire is the beginning of recovery rather than its completion. Restoring normal life requires clearance of explosives, repairs to homes and infrastructure, reopened public services, resources for households and sustained diplomatic commitment from Cambodia, Thailand and the international community.

Key Points

• Cambodia's Interior Ministry says 512,263 people remain displaced despite a ceasefire and growing border calm.
• Nearly one million people were displaced across both countries during the conflict; human rights groups recorded at least 43 deaths since July 24, 2025.
• Hundreds of schools and numerous health facilities remain closed on both sides of the border.
• Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July after a delay over alleged ceasefire violations.
• Preparations for resettlement are complete in 172 Cambodian villages, while 84 remain inaccessible.
• Landmines, unexploded ordnance and damage to homes, roads and public services obstruct safe returns.
• World Vision supported more than 109,000 people across 56 displacement sites between June and September 2025.
• The United States, China and the UN have been involved in diplomatic efforts, while China has delivered emergency supplies.
• Allegations involving scam networks, proposed fuel restrictions and attacks on migrants add to tensions beyond the battlefield.