Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Fifteen safe centers in Preah Vihear province have closed following the departure of displaced persons by Wednesday evening after the signing of the peace agreement by Cambodia and Thailand, according to deputy provincial governor Nop Vuthy.
The number of shelters peaked at 15 at the height of the conflict, housing a total of 46,000 displaced persons.
The provincial administration would continue to provide temporary food to people whose farmlands were affected by Thai military shelling until the government and partner organizations clear the explosives and remnants from the fields.
On October 26, Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed a peace declaration during the three-day ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, which was overseen by U.S President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as the current ASEAN chair.
Trump said America has a strong commitment to stability and peace in this region, and that the 18 Cambodian soldiers would be released. Under the agreement, he said, observers from ASEAN countries, including Malaysia will be deployed to make sure “peace prevails”.
Last month, Preah Vihear provincial administration spokesperson Kim Chanpanha said four safe centers were still operating in the province, housing more than 2,000 families.
When met at the 5000 Buddhist Tree Pagoda on Wednesday, Prum Kern, a displaced person, was packing her belongings to leave for her village in Bos Sbov as the chief told her that they can return home. However, her house and shop, which were located near the roundabout at Ta Ung statue in An Ses area, were destroyed during the five-day armed conflict between Cambodian and Thai troops.
The village head told her to stay temporarily in a pagoda at the foot of the mountain.
Kern is a goods vendor in An Ses area, where Thai forces set up barbed wire, violating the late July ceasefire agreement and launched an attack on Cambodian army positions there, firing mortars and small arms for nearly 30 minutes.
“I want to ask Samdech [Hun Sen] to help people who live at the [An Ses] mountain [area] as our houses and property have been damaged. I hope he can help provide land or money, as long as I can live anywhere.”
Another displaced person, Seng Hat, 60, who traveled back by tractor, expressed hope that peace will last between Cambodia and Thailand, as repeated displacements made it difficult for him to survive. His rice fields and cassava fields were damaged during the conflict, including having lost 10 chickens, four ducks and his dog.
“We have been facing obstacles for months now. If we face them again, we will be helpless. Please pray for the economy to improve. If the economy is down, the price of rice will be low,” said the farmer from Chheu Teal Kong village.
