Hundreds of Cambodians have sought shelter on the grounds of a Buddhist pagoda in Oddar Meanchey province, fleeing the border area after the deadliest fighting in more than a decade between the two neighbouring countries.
As artillery fighting broke out on Thursday, Salou Chan said he grabbed some belongings, clothes, his two children and sped away from his home about 20km (12 miles) from the disputed temples on the front line.
“I fear for the safety of my children. They are still small. For me, I could have stayed at home, but I worried for my children. They were scared of the sound of gunfire,”.
“I don’t know when I will be able to return home, but I want them to stop fighting soon. Nobody’s looking after my rice paddy and livestock.”
He and his family have joined hundreds of others at the pagoda. With no proper shelter, most sit on the bare ground and rig up makeshift tents with plastic sheeting. The evacuees have only the food and water they brought with them to sustain them while they wait for the chance to go home.
Chhorn Khik, 55, who fled to the pagoda with her two grandchildren, said she was relieved to have escaped the conflict zone.
“I am no longer scared. Yesterday, I was so scared. I was crying along the way,” she told the news agency. “I feel pity for the soldiers at the front line. We are scared, but we could escape, but those soldiers, they are fighting for us and the nation.”
Yoeun Rai, 55, who fled with 10 members of her family, said she was so anxious she could not eat. “I am praying this will end soon so that we can go back home.
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