AKP Phnom Penh February 23, 2026 --

H.E. Mrs. Eat Sophea, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, led a delegation of foreign diplomats and representatives of international agencies accredited to Cambodia on a field visit on Monday to assess the situation of displaced persons at the Wat Chan Sy Samaki Ratanaram Safety Centre in Kob commune, O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province.

The displaced residents sheltering at the centre are mostly from Chouk Chey and Prey Chan villages, who fled following Thai armed hostilities and land encroachments by laying barbed wire and shipping containers into parts of their villages, as well as the destruction of their homes.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, more than 60,000 people remained in displacement camps as of Feb. 22, 2026.

The visit comes despite a ceasefire agreed on Dec. 27, 2025, in which both sides agreed – under Point 4 – “to allow civilians residing in the affected border areas to return at the earliest, without obstruction and in safety and dignity, to their homes and normal livelihoods in areas within their own side.”

Cambodian authorities have reported Thai military’s ongoing actions on the ground that they say create new faits accomplis, including the installation of barbed wire, placement of containers, and damage to civilian homes. 

The Royal Government of Cambodia has lodged repeated formal protests through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, stating it does not recognise any alteration of border lines or illegal territorial occupation through the use of force under international law.

Article in Khmer by Phen Rattanak
Article in English by C. Nika