Caught in the Crossfire: Life Along the Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict

Tue Oct 21 2025 14:00:48 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Discover the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict between Cambodia and Thailand on local communities as families face displacement and fear along the newly fortified border.

Recently, the quiet village of Chouk Chey in Cambodia has been transformed into a site of conflict following the creation of a heavily fortified border with Thailand. Residents, once able to cross freely, now find themselves cut off, facing fears of violence and economic instability. As tensions rise and families are displaced, the impact on daily life becomes evident—local economies falter, and fears of unexploded ordnance grow. Amidst calls for peace, the situation highlights deep-seated historical grievances and the urgent need for dialogue.

Rolls of razor wire now run through the middle of the village Cambodia calls Chouk Chey, and on through fields of sugar cane. Behind them, just over the border, tall black screens rise up from the ground, concealing the Thai soldiers who put them up. This is the new, hard border between the two countries, which was once open and easily crossed by people from both sides.

Then, at 15:20 local time on 13 August, that changed. The Thai soldiers came and asked us to leave, said Huis Malis. Then they rolled out the razor wire. I asked if I could go back to get my cooking pots. They gave me just 20 minutes. Hers is one of 13 families who have been cut off from houses and fields on the other side of the wire where they say they have been living and working for decades.

In Chouk Chey, Provincial Governor Oum Reatrey bemoaned the economic impact on the community of Thailand's actions. He estimates they are losing one million dollars a day in customs revenue from the border closure. The governor said they were now being told to avoid confrontations, but anger spilled over in another confrontation with Thai troops on 4 September.

Five thousand families were living under rudimentary tarpaulins in the camp we visited, surrounded by mud and with minimal sanitation. The authorities tell us the situation is not good yet, said one woman in the Cambodian camp. As I live close to the border I don't dare go back. A large sign had been put across the main track running through the camp reading Cambodia needs peace – final. That sentiment was echoed by many locals.