Nearly half a million Cambodians have already made their way back to their villages, yet more than 159,000 people remain in limbo—caught between the fear of past fighting and the uncertainty of a lasting return along the border with Thailand.

In a scandal shaking the fragile border peace, Thai soldiers looted shops and homes in Pursat, violating the ceasefire signed on December 27, 2025, between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

After months of tension and intense diplomatic efforts, 18 Cambodian soldiers detained in Thailand were finally released and welcomed home, a historic moment that has generated a powerful sense of relief and renewed hope among Cambodians nationwide.

Thailand has finally released 18 Cambodian soldiers captured during intense border clashes in July 2025, marking a pivotal step toward de-escalating longstanding tensions between the two nations. This humanitarian gesture comes after months of diplomatic wrangling, fragile ceasefires, and mutual accusations, bringing relief to families and easing regional anxieties.

Le gouvernement cambodgien se prépare à accueillir, dès demain midi, les 18 soldats cambodgiens détenus depuis plus de cinq mois par l’armée thaïlandaise, a confirmé le vice-Premier ministre et ministre des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, H.E. Prak Sokhonn.

In the steep cliffs of the Dangrek Mountains in Preah Vihear province in northern Cambodia, there is far more than an ancient Khmer temple listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beneath its rugged terrain, deposits of gold, iron, copper, and precious stones have fueled decades of desire and tension.

The UN has a comprehensive set of mediation mechanisms to intervene peacefully between Cambodia and Thailand, based on the United Nations Charter (Chapters VI and VII), in order to prevent the escalation of the 2025 border conflict around Preah Vihear and other disputed areas.

To answer a question posed by a reader, here are a few clarifications about the possibility and unlikelihood of seeing UN peacekeepers (Blue Helmets) in Cambodia. As a reminder, the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, revived in 2025, pits the two neighbors in a deadly escalation marked by artillery fire, air strikes, and thousands of displaced people

A special meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers, urgently convened on 22 December 2025 in Kuala Lumpur under Malaysian presidency, once again exposed the glaring weaknesses of regional consensus in the face of a border conflict that has already displaced more than 900,000 people and caused dozens of casualties on both sides.

As of December 17, 2025, solidarity with Cambodian refugees displaced by the border conflict with Thailand has moved well beyond symbolic gestures. It has taken the form of a full-scale humanitarian offensive. More than 400,000 people have been evacuated as fighting enters its second week, and needs are soaring—shelter, clean water, food supplies, and psychosocial support are all under acute strain.

Cambodia on Monday warned against any Thai attempt to block maritime routes in the Gulf of Thailand, calling such actions a serious violation of international law, as the border conflict between the two countries enters its ninth day with escalating tensions both on land and at sea.

Pierre-Yves Clais is above all a man of the field, deeply connected to Cambodia for more than three decades. A former blue helmet who arrived in a country scarred by war, he saw the nation reborn and threw himself body and soul into its reconstruction. His attachment to the Khmer land today goes far beyond that of a simple foreign observer: he has become a witness, an actor, and a defender of its living history.

The Thai Air Force’s F-16 fighters come exclusively from the United States and have for decades formed the backbone of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). These versatile aircraft, acquired in batches since 1988, embody a strategic alliance born during the Cold War and still alive today.

Rompus, district of Sandan, Kampong Thom province. Under the modest roof of a wooden house, Sun Leung recalls, with a trembling voice, the memory of her husband, Lieutenant Pich Ngorl.

This document, by Pierre-Yves, Chanda and Jean-Clais, is the result of a personal journey and a collective reflection on the evolution of the Cambodian army from the Apronuc years to the present day. Through first-hand experience in the field, followed by a perspective informed by recent encounters and travels, the authors shed light on the profound transformation of an institution that was long viewed with reserve.