At a refugee camp in Kuleaen district, Preah Vihear province, volunteers are providing educational activities for children whose schooling has been interrupted by the fighting. - PPP/ANN
PHNOM PENH: Following the full-scale military clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border, thousands of displaced families have flooded into makeshift sanctuaries.
Preah Vihear now hosts 19 such sites, sheltering between 30,000 and 40,000 displaced people, while Wat Por 5,000 pagoda shelters more than 19,000 people — many of them women and children — fleeing from violence in Choam Ksan district.
Thanks to the generosity of those struck by their plight — from ordinary Cambodians to those at the highest rungs of office — an army of philanthropists has been mobilised to bring relief to the desperate refugees.
“This is the largest sanctuary in the province, and it still has room for more,” said Sok Santara, deputy governor of Preah Vihear, as he surveyed the sprawling 122-hectare Wat Por 5,000 site.
“We have welcomed 5,331 families — over 19,000 people, including more than 6,000 children — who have sought refuge here since the Thai military escalated attacks near the border,” he noted.
He explained that most of the people who have come to stay at Wat Por 5,000 are from Choam Ksan district, as the area is very close to the Cambodian-Thai border and became a battlefield.
Santara confirmed that with an area of 122 hectares, the site can accommodate more than 5,000 additional displaced families.
Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife's donation of 5,000 sets of cutlery and dishes to the Wat Por refugee camp marked the beginning of a wave of assistance.
Philanthropists from all walks of life have since provided crucial support, including food supplies, food storage facilities and medical teams.
They offer counselling to help the refugees cope with the challenges of returning home and provide educational activities for children whose schooling has been interrupted by the fighting.
Santara said that some families have been displaced to the Wat Por 5,000 camp since June 8, 2025, where they have been receiving healthcare services from on-site medical teams.
The camp is also equipped with over 200 sanitation blocks, to support the growing population.
“We have received donations of food and medicine from generous many people. This shows the unity of the Cambodian people,” Santara said.
“Even if some of us don’t carry guns, we are here helping with food and supplies. This is Cambodian solidarity at its strongest,” he added.
One of the evacuees, Chey Thavy, from An Ses village in Choam Ksan district — one of the hardest-hit areas — explained that she lives alone, as her husband passed away six years ago and her son now has a family of his own.
She said that life in the refugee camp feels safer than living alone in her village, especially thanks to access to free healthcare, food and basic supplies.
Thavy fled alongside her younger brother and his family, while her son, a border police officer, remains on duty at the front line.
A forest by-product trader by profession, she said the camp has made daily life more manageable.
However, she currently shares a tent with her brother’s family, as she was not allocated a separate shelter due to being alone.
“I really want to go home, but I’m afraid of the reported toxic smoke, and I’m afraid of the Thai attacks,” Thavy told The Post.
“We need peace so I can go home soon. Even if I have to go to work as a wage earner, I can survive,” she said.
In Kuleaen district, the Wat Oddar Kiri Toul Andet camp in Thanal Bambek village has taken in another 1,000 families.
Deputy Governor Min Sitha said many of the refugees had briefly returned home during the first days of August — only to flee once again after fresh reports of an imminent Thai assault.
“Of the people of Choam Ksan, between 30,000 to 40,000, have almost all evacuated,” said Sitha.
“If the remaining few are forced out, there will not be many more arrivals at the camps,” he added.
He acknowledged that while the food supply is currently sufficient, he is concerned about potential shortages should the situation continue to drag on.
He expressed gratitude to the government, civil servants, humanitarian organisations and citizens from all walks of life for uniting to support the displaced.
The Thanal Bambek camp currently receives medical support from Kampong Thom province, along with TYDA medical teams, which providing free treatment to residents.
The site is equipped with clean water, electricity and sanitation facilities.
Amid the turmoil of displacement, a group of children sits on a large green tarp, their eyes lighting up as they flip through piles of colourful storybooks, sticker sets and 3D colouring books featuring cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and Spider-Man.
The activity is part of an informal learning programme organised inside the Thanal Bambek sanctuary, designed to bring moments of joy and normalcy to children affected by the ongoing conflict.
Under the guidance of young volunteers like 18-year-old Teng Lakna, a grade 11 student, the children participate in structured learning sessions twice a day.
The sessions, run in collaboration with World Vision, include drawing, solving puzzles, reading and group games.
The children gather eagerly around stacks of World Vision’s educational materials — colouring books, storybooks and activity sheets.
Laughter fills the tent as they show off their drawings and flip through their favorite characters.
“Our goal is to give them a safe and happy space to behave like children again,” Lakna told The Post.
“We don’t let them play in dangerous places like ponds. Instead, they stay here and learn through fun,” she said.
World Vision’s Seng Sokpho, who helps oversee the activities, said that beyond keeping the children engaged, these sessions are vital for their emotional well-being.
“When they draw and play, they forget the sounds of war,” he said.
“This helps reduce stress—something even children carry, although we adults may not always notice,” he added.
Sokpho, a technical communications officer, emphasised that while the children may not be in a formal school setting, the learning continues.
“This is a way of reminding them that education and hope still exist, even in hard times,” he said, urging continued community support for the displaced families.
The vibrant learning corner stands in contrast to the harsher realities outside the camp, offering a glimpse of hope — drawn in crayon and coloured with the resilience of everyday Cambodians. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
