Cambodians displaced by conflict start over

In Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, more than 3,000 identical houses have sprung up in a grid formation near the Thai border. These houses, part of a government-built "waiting village" for displaced families, offer Cambodians forced to flee last year's deadly border clashes with Thailand a more permanent solution than the tents they previously occupied.

Despite the improvements, residents like 39-year-old Keo Sotheary long to return home. Her family, who had lived in Boeung Trakuon for 25 years, was forced to flee to the village during the Dec 8 fighting. "Thais took my home," she said, her voice choked with emotion.

The Thai army controls access to the area where Sotheary's family once lived, preventing most displaced people from returning. Thailand argues it has reclaimed land that Cambodians had long occupied. However, a UN human rights special rapporteur maintains the families have the right to return home.

In the new village, residents are starting businesses and receiving government aid, but questions remain about their long-term economic prospects. The situation remains tense, with barbed wire and shipping containers blocking the old village road, and damaged homes still littered with toys and bullet holes.