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Border Crisis and Community Response
Border Crisis and Community Response:
A Report from the Cambodian Refugee Camps
A few weeks ago, a peace accord was signed between Thailand and Cambodia in Kuala Lumpur, witnessed by Donald Trump and the Malaysian Prime Minister. The agreement held for a few weeks until Thailand resumed shelling a few days ago.
Unfortunately, the escalation did not stop there. F16 jets have since dropped bombs on bridges in Pursat Province near the border. As a precaution, hundreds of thousands of people are now fleeing their homes and have been relocated to refugee camps outside the 50-kilometer safety zone.
Political Instability and Speculation:
The reason why Thailand has breached the peace accord remains a matter of speculation.
Historically, the Thai government has shown little regard for the international community. This was evident during the decisions made by Indonesia, UNESCO, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague concerning the Preah Vihear temple (2009–2013).
Furthermore, the military has staged several coups in Thailand since 2001, leading to a rapid turnover of prime ministers. In the last three months alone, there have been two new presidents, with the most recent one resigning just a few days ago.
Could the ongoing instability be a result of the King of Thailand harboring strange ideas? Or perhaps is it related to the decline in tourism and the resulting slower growth of government revenues? Are there other underlying reasons? We can only guess.
What we do know is that their current actions are detrimental to the mutual relationship and are inciting conflict between the populations.
Distributing Aid and Witnessing the Reality
For us at Cambodian Travel Partner and Cambodiajeep, doing nothing was not an option.
On December 13th, we mobilized all our staff and visited two pagodas and one government-run refugee camp in Sisophon, all housing thousands of displaced individuals.
Thanks to the donations from the Lily Foundation, private contributions from André and Lily, and funds raised by our staff, we were able to purchase 500 kg of rice, along with other essential groceries like vegetables and laundry powder.
Lily connected with a monk who guided us to the pagodas in Bantey Meanchey Province.
At 8:30 AM, we departed from Siem Reap with three cars fully loaded with supplies and clothing. Our first stop was to pick up the monk who would show us the way.
Wat Kchass pagoda:
The first pagoda we visited was Wat Kchass, a beautiful compound where they are currently constructing an immense Buddha statue. The refugees made tents and shelter everywhere, both within the pagoda grounds and immediately surrounding the compound.
We were warmly welcomed by the monks. After we had donated a portion of our supplies, the items were first blessed. The monks, with the help of local villagers, would then distribute the goods among the refugees later.Together with the monks we walked through the camp, and despite all the misery, the people remain cheerful and smile when you greet them. The Cambodian people truly are wonderful.
It was heartbreaking to witness this firsthand. Thousands of people—young children, pregnant women, men, and the elderly (some of whom may have even been in refugee camps during the Pol Pot regime)—have fled their familiar surroundings to escape the Thai aggression. Cambodia has enjoyed peace for over 30 years, and now its people must flee for safety.
We drove with a small group of monks to the second pagoda, located a few kilometers north of Sisophon. This area is not far from where the UNTAC soldiers were based in 1992 to keep the peace in Cambodia. Who could have ever imagined that, 33 years later, almost at the same location would become a refugee camp?
This pagoda was also sheltering thousands of people who had fled the border region. Here, too, we were welcomed with open arms.
Finally, we visited a refugee camp established by the local government, situated not far from Highway 6. At this location, we also donated groceries, rice, and clothing.
A Plea for Peace
We want to thank all our staff for their contributions and for managing the distribution of goods. We must also recognize the monks, whose work for the community is truly invaluable. We met countless people who had traveled from all over Cambodia to bring supplies and help the refugees. It wasn’t large international organizations responding, but the local population—demonstrating how community support truly works.
We sincerely hope that the Thai government will stop this madness as soon as possible. War only creates losers, and it is the ordinary people who bear the brunt of the suffering.
We extend our sincere gratitude to:
All staff members of Cambodiajeep and Cambodian Travel Partner; Venerable Soty, Venerable Has Tola, Venerable Chan Sochun; Dr. Aicheg Lim (for providing Medical Aid); and all volunteers at the pagodas who assisted with the distribution of the goods.
If you would like to know more or wish to make a contribution, please contact us via the following link: