Tensions over razor-wire barricades installed by Thai soldiers in disputed parts of Banteay Meanchey flared again on Thursday, as villagers from Chouk Chey in O’Biechoan commune confronted troops while blocked from their homes and farms. The provincial governor called for a resolution through bilateral border committees.
The latest standoff follows a similar confrontation last week, when the same villagers confronted Thai soldiers over the barricades, briefly using sticks to push back the razor wire. The governor of Thailand’s bordering Sa Kaeo province said the families – around 170 – were “encroaching on Thai territory” and should be relocated.
On Wednesday, officials from Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province installed signs in Khmer and Thai ordering Cambodian villagers to dismantle their homes and vacate land, warning that failure to comply could trigger legal action, Thai media reported.
Many of the villagers have lived on the land for decades.
Banteay Meanchey governor Oum Reatrey responded, saying the situation falls under the authority of the General Border Committee, a bilateral mechanism used by the neighbors to resolve border issues.
During the deadly five-day border conflict in July, no reported clashes or disputes occurred in Banteay Meanchey.
Banteay Meanchey provincial spokesperson Ly Sovannarith said 12 families from Chouk Chey and Prey Chan villages in O’Biechoan commune remain barred from their homes by the barricades. He confirmed Thursday’s standoff and said Thai troops are encroaching into Cambodian territory, risking further escalation.
The Cambodian government has repeatedly criticized the barricades since August 12, calling the Thai soldiers’ actions an expansion of disputed areas that threatens the ceasefire agreement.
A Thursday statement from the government’s spokesperson unit said officials have been actively working to resolve the issue of evicting long-term residents and disrupting their livelihoods through all available bilateral mechanisms.
An Interim Observer Team of military personnel from five ASEAN countries, led by Malaysia’s defense attache to Cambodia and formed after the ceasefire, visited Chouk Chey on August 26, according to Mekong Independent reporting.
Thai authorities have claimed the village has gradually extended into Thailand’s Ban Nong Chan area of Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo province in recent decades based on their interpretation of the international border.
For affected residents, the dispute has caused daily hardship. Yi Pheuak, a villager from Prey Chan whose home now lies behind a large razor-wire fence, said by phone that his family has been forced to live in a tent nearby.
“I live in a tent every day. Just today, I was called to plant rice to earn some money. Without humanitarian groups providing food, we would all starve,” he said, adding that his family faces food shortages and unsafe water.
“I want the government to help us. The children are sick, there is not enough food, and every day we have to use canal water. It has been a while, and no one has come to visit us. It is hard – I don’t know what to say.”
Another Prey Chan resident, Hul Malis, said Thai soldiers recently erected three new signs inside near her home. She, too, is cut off from her house.
While the soldiers did not attempt to move the displaced villagers, she said they frequently take photos of residents. Provincial authorities have told them not to protest or confront Thai troops.
“I want the government to help as quickly as possible. I want to live in my house again – it’s very difficult to live in a tent,” she said.
Provincial spokesperson Ly Sovannarith did not immediately respond to a follow up question on how authorities plan to assist families cut off in the commune.
