Satellite Images Show 627 Homes and Structures Destroyed in Cambodian Border Villages

Three villages face destruction and blocked returns

Satellite images analyzed by the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, known as LICADHO, show 627 homes and other structures destroyed in three Cambodian border villages held by Thai troops. The organization counted 270 destroyed structures in Chouk Chey, 299 in Boeng Trakuon and 58 in Prey Chan, all in Banteay Meanchey province.

LICADHO used publicly available images from the European Space Agency's Sentinel 2 satellites to compare the villages before and after Thai forces took control. Its comparison describes April images as showing conditions before that takeover and March images as showing the subsequent destruction. The years attached to those two sets of images were not specified.

Boeng Trakuon accounts for the largest number of destroyed structures, followed by Chouk Chey. Together, those two villages account for 569 of the 627 structures counted, or about 91 percent. The findings put a number on the damage facing communities whose residents are still unable to return.

Cambodia says Thai troops remain in areas it considers sovereign Cambodian territory despite the ceasefire signed on December 27, 2025. Thailand rejects accusations of territorial encroachment and has previously said its forces did not target civilian infrastructure.

As of August 11, 2026, the destruction and continued restrictions on access have increased pressure on Phnom Penh and Bangkok to restart border talks. LICADHO has called for an investigation and urged authorities to provide housing and assistance to families who cannot return. For those families, restoring access is only part of the task: many may also need a house rebuilt, a farm made accessible and basic public services restored.

More than 20,000 people remain displaced

Cambodia's Ministry of the Interior recorded 20,281 displaced people as of August 6, including 10,331 women and 6,066 children. More than 20,000 Cambodians remained in temporary camps, even though many people displaced during earlier stages of the conflict had returned after the December truce.

The remaining displaced population includes families who fled fighting and people prevented from returning after Thai soldiers installed razor wire, barricades and shipping containers around parts of the villages. Cambodian officials say the barriers have cut residents off from homes, farms and roads.

Boeng Trakuon has more than 1,800 families reportedly displaced. In nearby Chouk Chey, local officials have said most families cannot access their land. Unexploded weapons and continued military control add to the danger for civilians considering a return.

Residents interviewed during visits to the area described fear, lost livelihoods and uncertainty over whether their houses still exist. One villager said soldiers gave her only 20 minutes to leave and would not allow her to retrieve basic cooking equipment. Her account shows how an evacuation can separate a family from even the simplest items needed for daily life.

Damage reaches schools, clinics and roads

Preliminary Cambodian government assessments list damage to 1,558 houses, 26 schools, 14 health facilities, 74 public buildings, 19 pagodas, four ancient temples, five bridges and 87 road sections. Electricity lines, water facilities and other religious buildings have also been affected across the border provinces.

LICADHO's count focuses on homes and structures in three named villages, while the government's preliminary assessment covers damage across the border provinces. Several schools and health centres remain closed in Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and Preah Vihear.

A destroyed home leaves a family without shelter. A closed school interrupts children's education, while a damaged health centre makes medical care harder to obtain. Damage to roads, bridges, electricity and water facilities also complicates the return to ordinary life for whole communities.

Families living in pagodas and makeshift shelters need food, clean water, medical care, schooling and protection from unexploded ordnance. Unexploded ordnance means weapons that failed to explode when used and can still be dangerous. Longer term recovery will require access to land, rebuilt houses and confidence that renewed fighting will not force another evacuation.

Lost land access also means lost income

Farmers unable to reach their fields cannot cultivate them. Small businesses near checkpoints have lost customers, and border crossings that closed or operated at sharply reduced levels have cut trade and customs income.

The wider conflict also caused large numbers of Cambodian workers to leave Thailand and reduced tourism in both countries. Those effects extend the economic strain beyond the three villages examined by LICADHO.

Families in camps face limited income, poor sanitation and interrupted education. Thousands of children remain displaced, while women often carry responsibility for food, care and household recovery. Replacing a house is only one part of rebuilding a family's ability to support itself.

The destruction of homes also removes documents, tools, livestock and other assets that families need to restart their lives. Military checkpoints and barbed wire have created physical divisions in communities where residents once crossed freely for work and trade. Without access to those places and possessions, the absence of shelling does little to restore a dependable livelihood.

What the law says about destruction and return

LICADHO says the destruction may violate Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. That provision prohibits an occupying power from destroying property unless the destruction is required by military operations. International human rights law also protects access to adequate housing and restricts arbitrary destruction and forced eviction.

The competing territorial claims complicate the legal dispute. Thailand says it is securing its own territory. Cambodia says the villages lie within borders established by historical treaties and maps. Both governments have agreed to pursue negotiations, but they disagree over the frontier's location in several areas.

Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, visited the border and displacement sites during a mission lasting 12 days that ended on July 31. He said international law gives people displaced by armed conflict the right to return home, and that the December ceasefire included a commitment to permit those returns.

Andrews's central point was that civilian protection requires people to be able to rebuild their lives. Military control, blocked roads and destroyed housing continue to prevent that process. Calling on both governments to act, he said:

It is imperative that Thailand and Cambodia work together to expedite the return of displaced civilians. They need, and deserve, to go home.

Thailand disputed some figures and rejected parts of Andrews's assessment. Andrews said his estimates were based on United Nations material and that human rights protections apply regardless of competing claims over territory.

How the boundary dispute became a military crisis

Thailand and Cambodia share an approximately 800 kilometre frontier shaped by treaties made during the French colonial period. Cambodia relies on the 1904 and 1907 Franco Siamese agreements, related maps and records from boundary commissions. Thailand disputes some interpretations of those materials and has its own claims in several areas where the boundary has not been fully marked.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. A later ruling clarified the area around the temple, while other sections of the frontier remained unsettled by the court. Those unresolved areas have remained sensitive, particularly when domestic political leaders use border issues to appeal to nationalist opinion.

Fighting intensified in 2025 after months of military buildup and confrontations. Thailand said its operations were defensive and aimed at military sites, supply routes and facilities linked to security threats, including alleged scam compounds. Cambodian authorities said attacks struck civilian areas and infrastructure.

Rights groups have warned about explosive weapons being used near populated communities. Amnesty International urged both governments to protect civilians and follow international humanitarian law, the rules governing conduct during armed conflict. The organization warned that renewed hostilities could cause further deaths, displacement and damage to essential services.

The dates behind the current standoff

The dispute brings together historical boundary claims, court decisions and a recent ceasefire. The main dates show how a conflict over territory has left civilians waiting for access to their homes long after the agreement to stop fighting.

• 1904 and 1907: Franco Siamese agreements established part of the historical basis Cambodia cites for its border claims.
• 1962: The International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. A later ruling clarified the area around it.
• 2025: Fighting intensified after months of military buildup and confrontations.
• December 27, 2025: Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire that Andrews said included a commitment to allow displaced civilians to return.
• July 31, 2026: Andrews completed his mission lasting 12 days, which included visits to the border and displacement sites.
• August 6, 2026: Cambodia's Ministry of the Interior recorded 20,281 people still displaced.

Earlier stages of the conflict displaced hundreds of thousands of people before many returned after the December truce. The people still in camps face a different stage of the crisis: large scale fighting has stopped, but military control, physical barriers and destroyed property continue to block normal life.

Boundary talks and outside monitoring

Phnom Penh is pressing for the Cambodia Thailand Joint Boundary Commission, or JBC, to resume field surveys and boundary demarcation. Demarcation means identifying and marking the boundary on the ground. The commission is the main bilateral mechanism for examining disputed sections of the frontier and is separate from military bodies that manage security incidents.

Cambodian government spokesman Pen Bona said joint surveys are needed to allow civilians to return freely, safely and with dignity. Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said the ceasefire's meaning should be measured by whether displaced people can return to their land, rather than simply by the absence of gunfire.

ASEAN observers have expanded visits to the frontier to check compliance with the ceasefire. Military attachés from countries including the United States, China, Russia, France and Japan have also visited villages, camps and sites containing unexploded weapons.

Those visits give outside governments a clearer view of conditions. The observers do not have authority to settle the boundary, leaving that task with the negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia.

A ceasefire without a return to normal life

Thailand says it supports peaceful bilateral negotiations and complies with international law. Cambodia has asked Bangkok to withdraw troops from areas it says were occupied after the ceasefire. Each side continues to accuse the other of violations, making the first practical step toward talks politically difficult.

Disputes over casualty and displacement figures have also added to public distrust. Cambodian officials cite more than 20,000 people still in camps. Thailand has challenged some Cambodian and United Nations estimates, especially where people moved across the international border.

LICADHO's satellite analysis provides a measurable record of destruction in Chouk Chey, Boeng Trakuon and Prey Chan. The count of 627 destroyed homes and structures gives those communities a concrete measure of the rebuilding task, alongside the wider damage recorded in preliminary government assessments.

Residents may be safe from immediate shelling yet still unable to reach a home, farm, school or clinic. Rebuilding cannot begin while they are denied access or while the status of their land remains managed by armed forces rather than civilian authorities. Restoring daily life therefore requires both access to the villages and the repair of homes, services and livelihoods.

Key Points

• LICADHO counted 627 destroyed homes and structures: 270 in Chouk Chey, 299 in Boeng Trakuon and 58 in Prey Chan.
• The organization compared publicly available Sentinel 2 images described as showing conditions in April before Thai control and destruction in March.
• Cambodia says Thai troops remain in Cambodian territory after the December 27, 2025 ceasefire. Thailand rejects territorial encroachment allegations.
• Cambodia's Interior Ministry recorded 20,281 displaced people on August 6, including 10,331 women and 6,066 children.
• Preliminary government assessments list damage to 1,558 houses and numerous schools, health facilities, religious buildings, bridges and roads.
• Razor wire, barricades, shipping containers, military control and unexploded weapons continue to obstruct civilian returns.
• UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews called for both governments to speed up the return of displaced civilians.
• Cambodia is seeking renewed Joint Boundary Commission surveys. Thailand says it supports peaceful bilateral negotiations.