The body of Cambodian student Chan Oudom, killed in his Israeli apartment after it was hit by missiles fired by Hamas on October 7, 2023, arrived in Cambodia on Monday night, according to Kandal provincial spokesperson Nou Peng Chandara.
Speaking to CamboJA, Chandara said Oudom’s body was sent to his hometown in Koh Thom district, where his family organized a funeral.
Oudom’s brother, Chan Seyma, declined to comment, saying he was busy.
The delivery of the body was delayed as it had to be examined and identified in Israel, Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a meeting with workers in Kampong Cham province.
The conflict between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, a Jewish holy day called Simchat Torah, which marks the completion of the annual Torah reading. More than 5,000 people have been killed since the start of the fight.
At the workers’ meet, Hun Manet assured that the government has been working closely with Israeli authorities and Cambodian students there to ensure their safety from the start of the conflict.
“[We are] making sure the lives of our people are taken care of. We have been [checking up] on our students in Israel for the past few weeks. We won’t abandon them until the [fight] there is over,” he said.
During the first week of the conflict, several Cambodian students in Israel asked the Cambodian government to bring them home, following Oudom’s death as they were concerned about their safety and that there was not enough water and food.
There are about 453 Cambodians in Israel; 323 have been evacuated to safe places while 130 are still at risk.
“There was a shortage of water in some places due to difficulties but we managed to help. Food supply was also slow. However, we instructed the consulate to buy food for them [students],” Hun Manet said.
Although the situation in Israel is currently better than it was in the last two weeks, matters remain uncertain. As such, the government has come up with some plans.
“Within a week, we set up safe reserves. We have [established] one safe place under Israeli control and another one, 300 kilometers away from the red zone,” he said. “This is a plan to rescue them from danger, but if the situation in all of Israel becomes more serious, we have [other] plans to provide extra security for our people.”
He added that if the students need to be evacuated to a safe place in Israel, the government is ready to help them. However, many people, for various reasons, are volunteering not to leave and want to continue working because they believe it is safe and that their safety is “guaranteed” by farm owners.
At the time of writing, CamboJA reporters could not reach Cambodian students living in Israel for an update on the situation in Israel.
