Video shows demolition in Indonesia, not 'Thai army knocking down Cambodian homes'

Published on August 26, 2025 at 09:13
Updated on August 26, 2025 at 10:22
3 min read
By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand

Following a deadly clash between Cambodia and Thailand that killed over 40 people, footage of a house demolition has circulated on social media with a false claim that it shows Thai authorities tearing down Cambodian houses at a disputed border village. The original video was filmed in Indonesia's North Sumatra province.

"Don't need F-16s ... A Thai army commander has ordered 80 Cambodian households and a market at Chong An Ma to be demolished," reads the Thai-language Facebook post published on August 20, 2025.

The post shares a clip of an excavator tearing down a wooden house with a blue roof while police officers stand guard.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken August 22, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The false claim also spread elsewhere on Facebook, TikTok, Threads and YouTube.

It circulated after Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a truce on July 29, ending a five-day deadly border clash that left at least 43 people dead and over 300,000 displaced (archived here and here).

After the ceasefire came into effect, the Thai army installed barbed wire fences in Ban Nong Chan near the border, claiming Cambodian settlers from a former refugee camp had encroached over into Thai territory -- a move that Cambodia has called "unlawful" (archived here and here).

A reverse image search using the video's keyframes on Google found the video was uploaded on August 16 to TikTok with a caption saying it was filmed in Indonesia (archived link).

"Demolition this morning in tj. pamah village," the Indonesian-language caption reads, referring to Tanjung Pamah in North Sumatra province.

Screenshot comparison between the false Facebook post (L) and the TikTok video

The same clip circulated in compilation videos published by Indonesian Facebook pages, with captions saying the footage was filmed at Diskotik Marcopolo -- an entertainment venue at the village (archived here, here and here).

Local media reported the building and adjacent facilities were demolished on August 14 after authorities said the area was allegedly linked to drug trafficking and illegal activities (archived link).

The word "Polisi" -- or police in Indonesian -- can be seen on one of the officers' helmets in the video.

Screenshot of the falsely shared video, with an element made by AFP to highlight the word 'Polisi'

AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.

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