Thai–Cambodian border residents trade blame for violence

Residents of sides accuse each other of deliberately targeting civilians. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled on both sides of the border.

Transcript

00:00patrolling the streets of a ghost town farmer suryan country has grown used to

00:06the constant rumble of heavy artillery along the thai-cambodian border his village was

00:12evacuated earlier this week leaving him and a few other men behind we check whether the

00:19village is secure that's the responsibility of the village security force we patrol the area

00:24to make sure there are no thieves all valuables are still inside the houses the men here have

00:32little hope the fighting will end soon a white flag from cambodia circulating on social media

00:38turns out to be fake just one of many misleading posts suddenly ambulances rush past we follow

00:45them to a hospital in uban ratchitani where we are told the injured are victims of a rocket

00:51fired from cambodia

00:56both sides accuse each other of deliberately targeting civilians these images were sent to

01:02me by the cambodian information ministry showing destroyed homes temples bridges

01:10and casinos hundreds of thousands of people have fled on both sides of the border

01:17in this thai shelter evacuees closely follow news from home one heisewan fled with her entire family

01:25almost a week ago the 47 year old is shocked by news that fresh elections will take place she hopes

01:32the next prime minister won't simply hand power back to the military once the new leader is in charge

01:40don't let this happen again don't let there be war again i don't want cambodia and thailand to fight

01:45i want this to end now so we can go home work and stay in our houses

01:53back in the village behind the front lines surian country is nearing the end of his shift

01:58he claims cambodians have been settling on thailand for many years

02:08thai people value peace but we don't accept being humiliated i want this issue resolved quickly

02:13if something belongs to cambodia let it stay that way what belongs to us should remain ours there's no

02:19need to interfere with each other each side should respect what belongs to whom

02:23that goes to the heart of this conflict the last peace deal failed to settle this core issue

02:35many here now fear it could take years to resolve the dispute