Thai shelter\’s fear relief amid Cambodia war

Evacuation of households as artillery hits border

Border provinces have launched emergency shelters

• Surin province’s Surindra Rajabhat University hastily became a refuge for nearly 3,000 evacuees.
• Students and staff were forced into rows of plastic mats, blankets, and personal belongings scattered across the gymnasium.
• Higher‑roofed rooms established a makeshift shelter that now hosts children, elderly, and pets.

Desperate families flee in chaos

• Thidarat Homhuan, 37, fled with nine relatives after she heard “machine‑gun‑like” fire followed by heavy artillery.
• She worried about the home, animals, and crops, and told that the sense of safety is now higher than the danger zone.
• Inside the shelter, babies slept in cradles, cats lay in mesh pop‑up crates, and speakers hum with electric fans.
• Families sent in a short time left behind chronic medications and little belongings.

University director explains rapid transformation

• Classes were abruptly cancelled, and in one hour the campus was converted into a functioning evacuation centre.
• Thirteen thousand evacuees from four districts near the border were placed into six sites across the campus.
• Provincial hospital support provides medical and mental‑health services to people with chronic illnesses.

Fatalities and injuries worsen compared to 2011

• At least 14 people have died, including one soldier and civilians caught in a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket.
• Thidarat said the current conflict is more severe than the 2011 clashes, with houses damaged and civilians injured.
• She urged the government to take decisive action and not wait until lives are lost.

Awaiting the day to return home

• As clashes continue near the border, no clear timeline exists for when people can return to normal life.
• For now, the shelter provides a sense of safety and a place to wait for a safe sign.
• Thidarat told those in power that civilians rely on the government for protection.