US EditionCambodia Accuses Thailand of ‘Annexing’ Border Village
Cambodia accuses Thailand of illegal annexation after clashes displaced 3,000 residents in Chouk Chey, a village in a disputed border region between the two countries.
- On Friday, Cambodia said Thai forces took control of Chouk Chey village and accused Thailand of annexing it after a Dec 27 truce, providing AFP a map showing Thai presence.
- The dispute stems from a decades-old colonial-era demarcation fight that flared last year, with December clashes killing dozens and displacing more than one million people in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia and Sa Kaeo province, Thailand.
- Cambodia said Thai forces damaged civilian buildings, installed shipping containers and barbed wire to form a 'border fence', and raised the Thai flag; Agence Kampuchea Press photos from January 2, 2026 show these barriers in Chouk Chey.
- The Thai army said it retook areas long claimed by Thailand and disputed Phnom Penh's narrative, rejecting reports that it used force while accusing Cambodian civilians of encroachment.
- Cambodia vowed it `will not recognise any alteration of the boundary line resulting from the use of force,` while a Cambodian map shows Thai control around 750m from the village and Thailand's 1980s welcome to refugees complicates claims.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Cambodia accused Thailand of an "illegal annexation" of territories one week after the entry into force of a ceasefire.
Air Chief Marshal Praphas Sonjaidee, Director of the Joint Press Center for the Thai-Cambodian Border Situation, clarified to the international community that Thailand has not encroached on Cambodian territory, emphasizing adherence to peaceful methods and continuation of the Joint Border Committee (JBC) after the ceasefire agreement came into effect.
Radio France Internationale
La LibreOn Saturday, 3 January, Cambodia asked Thailand to withdraw all of its troops from what it considers its territory, one week after the beginning of a truce that ended their deadly fighting on the border.
In Chouk Chey Thailand is said to have begun the construction of a border fortification. The country rejects the allegations
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