About 45 kilometers from the Preah Vihear provincial town, on a stretch of red soil, lies many tents. Inside, elderly people, widows, and people with disabilities are seen sitting, while children play along the dirt road beneath a large sign that reads: “Cambodia Needs Peace”.
The tents have a plastic roof, crisscrossed with ropes, and sport a rubber mat and pillow inside, with a protective mosquito net around it. This is Wat Pur 5000, a camp for war-displaced people, located in Kulen Tboung village and commune, in Kulen district, Preah Vihear province.
Sitting on a mat on the floor, Nol Ny, 59, from Sra Em Khang Tboung village, Kantout commune, Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear, served as a soldier in 1981, before sustaining severe disability in his left leg about 40 years ago in a conflict during the State of Cambodia regime in 1989.
He lived through the Khmer Rouge occupation from 1975 to1979 as a child, with the rest of the country suffering under their reign for three years, eight months, and 20 days.
As a witness, he clearly understands that war only brings harm to people. Nol Ni feels “very painful” seeing this, and does not want his country to go through it again.
Speaking calmly and with a steady voice, he recounts the fear and suffering caused by war, stressing how survival was no easy task. He longs for an end to conflicts; not wanting future generations to endure the same hardship he faced.
“I’m terrified of wars, though the one during my time is over. I am now worried about my children and grandchildren,” he said. “Some have experienced it, some haven’t. I’m very scared now.”
The veteran is concerned about the ongoing Cambodian-Thai conflict, which has led to a loss of income and time, preventing him from working like usual. Many of his possessions, including livestock and household items, have been stolen or destroyed. He said he is uncertain about how to move forward after the war ends, as his family faces significant economic challenges.
“Everything is gone. My house has been ransacked, all the property is gone. When we return from the camp, I don’t know what we can survive on anymore.”
Aside from financial worries, he struggles with poor living conditions in the hut, which is cramped, built on earth and has no proper walls, so it is exposed to the elements, and gets flooded during the rainy season.
“When we fled here, it was very difficult,” he said. “First, we’re living directly on the ground. The tent gets hit by wind and rain, causing pots, plates, and clothes to fly everywhere.”
Another former soldier, Chhai Yim, 78, from Kantuot commune, Choam Ksan district in Preah Vihear, who fought during the Khmer Republic regime in the 1970s and Khmer Rouge, shares a similar story. He suffered disabilities in his right leg for nearly 50 years in an explosion at the time.
He, too, yearns for peace, and to be free from war, so that his family and others in the camp can return to their hometowns and resume their livelihood.
Chhai Yim said, “I want to see the end of the war, then I’ll be happy […] we want to go back home.”
He recalled the repeated Thai attacks on Cambodia that forced him and his family to flee to temporary shelters. “It hurt so much,” he said. “I wanted to fight, but they said I was too old.”
He said Thai soldiers bombarded many areas in Preah Vihear with artillery, airstrikes, and chemical smoke. Despite these hardships, he hopes Cambodia will achieve peace again. “It’s difficult,” he said, “but we will endure.”
A statement on September 11, 2025, by eight civil society organizations, including the Cambodian Human Rights Action Coalition(CHRAC), Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), and NGO Forum on Cambodia, said the use of chemical agents and toxic smoke by Thai forces during the Cambodia-Thai border conflict has harmed the environment and affected the health of border residents, potentially causing long-term risks.
On a tractor in the displaced camp, another former soldier with a disability in his right leg sustained in the People’s Republic of Kampuchea occupation in 1979, Som Seng, 61, from Sra Em Khang Cheung village, Sra Em commune, Choam Ksan district in Preah Vihear, said that peace is very important to the population as it makes the country stable.
He explained that war disrupted his livelihood, ruined his health, drained his income, and — most difficult — disrupted his children’s education.
“It’s difficult to live like this. Fleeing to the camp isn’t like living at home. It affects my health, my children’s education, my work, and income.”
Leak, 45, from Trapeang Thum village, Teuk Krahorm commune, Choam Ksan district, has been paralyzed in both legs since the age of five due to polio. Sitting in a wheelchair, he shared how the war still haunts him, especially the recurring conflicts with Thailand.
“Whenever I think about Thai forces invading our land, it hurts me,” he said. “It affects me deeply as a disabled person.”
He longs for a peaceful Cambodia, free from war, where people can travel freely, find work, and live without fear.
“[If] there is no war, we don’t have to worry about going anywhere, hearing the sound of bullets or fights. We are free to go anywhere, we can work and go to any province. But now we can’t visit any province because our home is like this.”
Sok Santara, deputy governor of Preah Vihear province and a coordinator at the Wat Pothi 5000 camp, said the camp previously housed 20,000 people (5,500 families). Many gradually returned to their hometowns, leaving 2,170 families (7,886 people) as of now, with women outnumbering men at over 5,000. Among them are 61 pregnant women, 2,465 children (including 1,247 girls), and over 100 people with disabilities.
He said Cambodians yearn for peace and an end to war because they have endured decades of relentless conflict. In 2008 and 2011, Thai forces invaded Cambodian territory near the Preah Vihear Temple, deeply affecting people of all ages, and leaving lasting psychological damage and fear of prolonged conflict.
“We’ve experienced decades of war. Our elderly people and children over 10 have faced Thai aggression in 2010, 2011, and 2012…. These acts of invasion instill fear of an enemy neighbor.”
A survey by World Vision International Cambodia on August 12, 2025, found that nearly two-thirds (66%) of refugee families across 43 camps are experiencing severe psychological trauma due to the Cambodia-Thai border conflict.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense on September 10, 2025, said both sides agreed on urgent measures to reduce tensions by adjusting military equipment and supplies within three weeks during the first special meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) in Koh Kong province.
They also discussed the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers, and scheduled a second GBC meeting within 30 days, to be hosted by Thailand.
Na Ratanak, executive director of Cambodia Peace Gallery, said that Cambodia’s history of war has left deep wounds in the hearts and memories of those who lived through it.
Even those who have not gone through war feel the pain when they learn about the wars endured by their ancestors. “When we study history, our hearts hurt, and we think of war immediately.”
However, as the next generation, “we must do everything possible to bring peace to the country and heal those wounds, and do everything possible to bring peace to the people [who were] physically and mentally [affected].”
As war brings nothing but hardship, Nol Ny and others call on the government to resolve the conflict quickly so that people can live in peace, safety, and without worry, allowing families and refugees to return to their hometowns.
Nol Ny added, “Find a peaceful way to make me stop being afraid. I don’t demand anything every day, I demand peace, so that I can return to my home, to my land, to my hometown, that’s all […] I want the Royal Government to find a way to bring us peace soon.”
