Thai woman herds cats amid Cambodia battlefield
Thai seamstress evades cross‑border blasts with five cats
A 46‑year‑old Thai seamstress, Pornpan Sooksai, fled her Phanom Dong Rak village as Cambodian artillery fired across the border on Sunday. She quickly shepherded her beloved felines—peng, kung fu, cherry, taro and batman—into crates and transported them to a Surin shelter.
What sparked the evacuation
- Intensity of cross‑border artillery on Thai side
- Ongoing tensions over a disputed border region
- Evacuation order for nearly 140,000 residents
Preparedness and panic
- Pre‑battle stockpiling of food and cat carriers
- Personal crew of nine evacuees, including elderly mother with Alzheimer’s
- Panic attack inside the car, hospital visit during escape
Recovery at the Surin shelter
Portable kennels served as temporary homes for the cats, drawing attention from children who had waited for earlier gym‑floor battles. The cats, skittish from sudden gunfire, are slowly regaining composure.
One cat persistently escaped its crate, refused food and vocalized distress. Another panted—possibly heatstroke—prompting a splash of water.
Final toll
Since May, at least 16 fatalities have been reported. The majority were civilians, but the danger affects families—such as Pornpan and her cats—whose evacuation was a personal rescue mission.
