Oddar Meanchey Still Sheltering Over 12,000 Displaced More Than Two Weeks After Thai Military Aggression
Oddar Meanchey Still Sheltering Over 12,000 Displaced More Than Two Weeks After Thai Military Aggression
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Oddar Meanchey — More than 12,000 displaced people remain in three refugee camps in Oddar Meanchey province more than two weeks after Thai military aggression against Cambodia, according to provincial authorities.
In an interview with Khmer Times at a refugee camp, Mean Chanyada, Governor of Oddar Meanchey province, said that while many families have begun returning home, three refugee camps remain operational due to ongoing safety concerns and damage to homes in affected areas.
He said most of the remaining displaced residents are unable to return home because their villages are located in designated “red zones” near former battlegrounds along the border, where unexploded ordnance (UXOs) and cluster munitions remain uncleared.
“There are currently three remaining refugee camps in the province — two in Chong Kal district and one in Anlong Veng district,” the governor said, citing official statistics compiled this week.
In Chong Kal district, Chong Kal Refugee Camp is sheltering 1,114 families, or 3,512 people, while Wat Bat Thkao Refugee Camp is hosting 2,209 families, equivalent to 7,267 people, he said.
Meanwhile, in Anlong Veng district, a refugee camp has been established within the compound of O’Ampil Primary School, where 347 families, or 1,352 people, remain sheltered.
In total, the three camps are accommodating 3,670 families, or 12,131 people, according to the governor.
He explained that many displaced residents remain unable to return home due to destroyed housing, unexploded ordnance, cluster munitions and lingering security concerns following the Thai aggression.
The 21-day aggression from December 7 to December 27, 2025, forced hundreds of thousands of civilians across multiple border provinces to flee their homes, making the situation in Oddar Meanchey one of the most prolonged displacement crises resulting from the recent hostilities.
-Khmer Times-
