Cambodia's Information Ministry Cites AFP Report: 20,000+ Civilians Still Unable to Return Home

Information Minister Neth Pheaktra highlighted an Agence France-Presse report on Cambodian civilians displaced by the border conflict who remain unable to return home, citing a figure of over 20,000 people barred from their villages by continued Thai military control and more than 3,000 new houses built in makeshift 'waiting villages.' The report focused on Boeung Trakuon village, where the access road remains blocked by shipping containers and barbed wire; residents Keo Sotheary, 39, and Im Chreb, 48, described losing homes they said Thai soldiers occupied. The minister cited UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews affirming that displaced civilians 'have the right to return to their homes,' arguing new housing cannot substitute for restored access to original land.