Cambodian PM says Thai forces occupying disputed land despite Trump-brokered ceasefire

Trump's Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire under strain as Thai forces allegedly occupy Cambodian territory, displacing 80,000 locals according to officials. Conflicts Defense Cambodian PM says Thai forces occupying disputed land despite Trump-brokered ceasefire Prime Minister Hun Manet tells Fox News Digital that Thai soldiers sealed off areas with barbed wire and shipping containers, straining Trump-brokered ceasefire By Morgan Phillips Fox News Published February 19, 2026 6:27pm EST Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Cambodian PM says Thai forces occupying disputed land despite ceasefire Hun Manet tells Fox News Thai troops have sealed off villages beyond the line of dispute, backs Trump’s "Board of Peace" and denies China controls key naval base. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! FIRST ON FOX: Last year when President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, he took a victory lap. "Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?'" he said.Now, that agreement appears under strain, as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Fox News Digital that Thai forces have pushed into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the line of dispute. Thai soldiers have sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodian locals unable to return home, according to Cambodian officials. "The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim," Manet said. "Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns." US ALERTS TOURISTS OF 'UNPREDICTABLE SECURITY SITUATION' IN POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATION Cambodia and Thailand have sparred for decades over sections of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The dispute has periodically flared into armed clashes, particularly around areas near historic Khmer temple sites and rural villages where demarcation remains incomplete.Tensions escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested stretches of the frontier and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. involvement during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to structures near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex — raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites caught in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials have denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, saying military operations were limited to contested security areas.The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet interviewed with Fox News Digital during a trip to D.C. for President Trump's Board of Peace. (Fox News Digital) TRUMP’S PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IN 2025: WHERE WARS STOPPED AND RIVALS CAME TO THE TABLE Still, Manet declined to threaten military retaliation. "Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions," he said. "We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical."Thailand, with a population of more than 70 million — roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million — maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, raising the stakes of any renewed conflict.With fighting again threatening fragile stability along the frontier, Manet traveled to Washington this week for the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace. "The Board of Peace can play an active role in promoting peace, stability and normalcy between Cambodia and Thailand," he said.TRUMP CONVENES FIRST ‘BOARD OF PEACE’ MEETING AS GAZA REBUILD HINGES ON HAMAS DISARMAMENTHun Manet took office in 2023, succeeding his father, Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades. The leadership transition marked the first formal handover of power in decades, though the ruling Cambodian People’s Party has maintained firm control over the country’s political system amid longstanding criticism from rights groups about limits on opposition activity. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Manet has sought to maintain close ties with China while cautiously reopening channels with Washington, including restoring joint military exercises that had been suspended in 2017. As Cambodia navigates tensions with Thailand, it is also balancing relations between Washington and Beijing. A general view of Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, where cluster munitions, unexploded artillery shells and other ordnance are marked around the temple grounds, following clashes between the two countries, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, February 12, 2026. (Soveit Yarn/Reuters)Manet said navigating ties with competing world powers "doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game" and that Cambodia,