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Svay Chek district, Banteay Meanchey: Close to the border, residents whose homes were damaged by alleged Thai military attacks demanded the Thai government take responsibility for the destruction.
A resident of Sleng village, Oeu Mea Lea, 37, said he was saddened by the severe damage to his house due to the shelling on December 26, 2025.
He hoped that the Cambodian government would provide some funds, but noted that the Thai government should be held accountable for the incident.
In Svay Chek commune, around 10 kilometers from the Thai border, homes and roads were damaged in the renewed conflict that lasted 21 days from December 7, 2025.
Thirty people in Cambodia were killed and 91 wounded in that time, according to the Interior Ministry, while scores of private and public properties were damaged.
Civilian properties affected by the fighting consisted of 150 houses, six civilian buildings, five hotels, one gas station, 28 cars, and one motorbike while six schools, two health centers, five temples, five bridges, and one market were among public properties which were badly hit.
A total of 242,267 displaced people remain in the camps as of 6 pm on January 4, 2026, including about 127,886 women and 78,907 children. At the height of the conflict, the number of displaced people reached over 640,000.
On Friday, the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Thai military disregarded the Special General Border Committee’s (GBC) Joint Statement signed on December 27 which prohibited provocative actions and the use of force against civilians or civilian objects.
However, intensified demolition of Cambodian civilian and cultural structures, particularly in Prey Chan, Chouk Chey and Boeung Trakoun villages in Banteay Meanchey and in the area of Thmor Da International Point of Entry in Pursat province, had been reported.
Journalists on the ground noticed the complete destruction of Mea Lea’s house, with windows, doors, roof, bathroom, a staircase, and walls lying in a pile of rubble.
At the moment, his family, which consists of nine people, including his parents, in-laws, and children, have chosen to sleep in a wooden shed behind their damaged house, while other family members stayed in relatives’ houses.
Mea Lea told CamboJA News that he had just renovated the ground floor of his house for $8,000 when it was destroyed by the Thai military.
He urged the government to find a solution and for the Thai government to rebuild his house and all the houses allegedly destroyed by Thai bombs.
“I want the Siamese (Thai military) to pay for the people’s houses, no matter what, as long as the Cambodian people want them to pay. They (Thai military) are the ones who are causing trouble, destroying our houses, they are the invaders.”
Late December 2025, the government appointed Chan Narith, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to lead a working group for the organization and management of the restoration of livelihoods and infrastructure damaged by the Cambodian-Thai border conflict.
They would study and examine the viability and actual condition of the damaged structures, and coordinate with relevant government offices to prepare and implement social assistance programmes.
Another Svay Chek commune resident, Sao Khum, 74, who owns a house in Bek Chan Chas village, expressed similar sentiments over the damage of his house due to Thai bombs on December 23.
Khum, who has eight family members, including his children and grandchildren, hopes that the government would provide some funds to repair his house as he has no money. He expressed deep anger at the Thai military for attacking civilian homes.
“I feel a sense of sadness in my heart, trying to build [my house] for years but to be destroyed in a moment, it’s very sad.”
Lom Pilot, Thmey villager in Svay Chek commune, said his windows were damaged by Thai shelling fired 150 meters away from the house on December 23.
“I feel [sad] about my house. I miss it. I just built it two years ago. It cost me $16,000,” he added.
On January 3, a Facebook account called Pîťh posted a video showing a house, which they claimed was theirs in Chouk Chey village, being demolished by an excavator. The Thai army alleged that they had “control” of the area after the second attack.
“I’m so sorry […] I tried not to cry but this is too cruel. My house was burned down by shells and I thought I went in to get iron, zinc and some property to build a house (sic).
“But now, the cruel Thai military has destroyed it to the ground (sic). There is no hope for the house anymore […] just bought goods that cost tens of thousands of dollars and put them in the house. Seeing this is really hard to bear (sic),” Pîťh said, using crying emojis.
