Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 5 months ago
Thai and Cambodian villagers refuse to evacuate amid cross-border clashes, choosing to stay behind to care for livestock and support their communities.

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:01Every morning, loud blasts wake the village near the Thailand-Cambodia border.
00:08But farmer Samuan doesn't run away. He stays for his buffalos.
00:14His family has left for safety, but he chooses to stay behind because he cannot leave the animals he loves.
00:24He hides when the shelling starts but comes out to comfort his buffalos.
00:29He hugs them, pats them and says, we are together, don't be afraid.
00:36I'm worried. My family has already evacuated. But I'm staying here. It is alright.
00:42At least I can feel at ease knowing my wife and kids are safe.
00:47The fighting was so loud at 5am. Boom, boom, boom.
00:51At 5am I can no longer sleep. Every day at 5am it's boom, boom, boom.
00:56I have to comfort the buffalos. I have to go over, hold their heads, pat them and tell them to calm down.
01:05I say to them, stay here, don't run, stay here together. I told them that we are in this together.
01:12On the other side of the border, a woman cooks food for soldiers even during attacks.
01:19She says, as long as I can, I will cook.
01:23Many people refuse to leave. They say if we die, we die at home.
01:28Village leader, Keng, also stays back. He takes care of his neighbours' animals too.
01:37He says, if I leave, who will help the village?
01:40I'm not afraid. They told me to evacuate to the city but I did not.
01:48I have cows, buffalos, chickens and my home. How could I leave?
01:52I'm a leader of this village. I have to take care of the people.
01:55My family would sometimes call two to three times a day. My daughter told me to leave the straws for the cow and go stay with her.
02:06I told her, Dad's not going. How could I abandon the people and their homes?
02:11Even the local monk stays, offering prayers in the middle of war. They stay because they kill.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended