In Cambodia's 'Waiting Village', tattooist mourns trade lost to war - Bangkok Post

Tattoo artist Cheng Bora places the outlines of a talisman on a customer at his house in Rong Cham, a resettlement site villagers have nicknamed "the waiting village", home to families who fled fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border and are waiting for a chance to return, in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Sept 15, 2026. (Photo: Reuters) RONG CHAM — More than 3,000 houses stand in neat rows across Rong Cham, a 400-hectare (990-acre) resettlement site dubbed by residents "the Waiting Village", where families who fled fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border still wait to return home nine months after the ceasefire.

Among them is Cheng Bora, a tattoo artist known to everyone as Sam, who once ​ran a thriving shop at ⁠Boeung Trakuon, a bustling trade crossing point on the border with Thailand in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province.

Now he works from a small house in Rong Cham, dipping his needle into a can of black ink and leaning over a ‌customer to work on his tattoo — one of just a few compared to the number of people he used to get at his home now in the territory controlled by the Thai army since the border conflict last year.

Tattoo artist Cheng Bora poses in front of his house in Rong Cham, a resettlement site villagers have nicknamed "the waiting village", home to families who fled fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border and are waiting for a chance to return, in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Sept 15, 2026. (Photo: Reuters)

At the Thai border 20 kilometres ⁠from the Waiting Village, Sam and his family stopped before a metal barricade marking the edge of accessible territory, trying to catch a glimpse of his old home.

"This place used to be very busy, many people doing business around here and it was very easy to make money before the fighting started," Sam said, gazing toward the fortified line.

Sam said that to make ends meet he has ​had to pick up a few other jobs such as plumber, electrician, and some minor construction work for other villagers.

Tattoo artist Cheng Bora poses near the border with Thailand in Boeung Trakuon, 20 kilometres from Rong Cham, a resettlement site that villagers have nicknamed "the waiting village", home to families who fled fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border and are waiting for a chance to return, in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Sept 16, 2026. (Photo: Reuters)

Rong Cham was built to house families who fled fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops that ​erupted ‌in July 2025 over a long-contested stretch of their shared border of over 800 kilometres and flared again in December before a ceasefire took hold. The clashes marked one of the most serious ​escalations between ⁠the two neighbours in years.

Cambodian authorities say the figure of those still unable to go home stands above 20,000, according to Tom Andrews, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on human rights in ⁠Cambodia, who said Thai military positions now sit inside what Phnom Penh considers its own territory.

Tattoo artist Cheng Bora speaks with a customer at his house in Rong Cham, a resettlement site villagers have nicknamed "the waiting village", home to families who fled fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border and are waiting for a chance to return, in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Sept 15, 2026. (Photo: Reuters)

Thailand has denied that it is illegally occupying Cambodian territory, claiming that it is following a bilateral ceasefire agreement. Border crossings between the neighbours remain closed.

When asked for comment on the displaced villagers, Thailand's Ministry of ⁠Foreign Affairs referred to an Aug 1 statement in which it said it was up to ​the Cambodian government to handle care of any of its citizens affected by the fighting.

Sam said his household has been split by the crisis. His nine-year-old daughter has returned to live with him, while his adult son remains in Thailand with other family.

"It's about when I can ‌get back to my old house ⁠and whether there would be a third (bout of) fighting," ​he said. "These are the two issues I worry about the most."

A drone view shows Rong Cham, a resettlement site that villagers have nicknamed "the waiting village", home to families who fled fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border and are waiting for a chance to return, in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Sept 16, 2026. (Photo: Reuters)

Last week, Thai authorities have received 12 Thais repatriated from Cambodia and sent home 27 Cambodians who had completed legal proceedings in Thailand.