Displaced Cambodians in limbo as nationalist victory in Thailand adds to pressure

A woman prepares food at Wat Chansi refugee camp, where residents from Prey Chan village and Chouk Chey village have been staying since clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Soveit Yarn

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Six weeks after a ⁠ceasefire ended fighting at the Thai-Cambodian border, thousands of displaced Cambodians still hope to return home, despite an election victory in Thailand ⁠by nationalists who want to wall off the disputed frontier.

In Banteay Meanchey province, Proeung Sopheap, 59, was visiting her abandoned home ‌in the border village of Prey Chan for the first time since the December clashes to collect some personal belongings and cooking utensils.