Cambodia Facing Displacement Crisis Amid Border Conflict — Think-tank

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Bernama) -- Cambodia could face a humanitarian crisis along its northern border due to a rise in the internally displaced population following armed confrontations with Thailand that began four days ago. 

Thousands have fled their rural homes in at least four provinces bordering Thailand, fearing the military tensions between the two nations. 

Cambodia’s National Defence Ministry Spokesperson Lieutenant General Maly Socheata was quoted by state media Agence Kampuchea Presse as saying that over 80,000 people have now been evacuated due to the ongoing conflict, while 130,000 students from 536 schools in 14 border districts were affected.

International Relations Institute of Cambodia Director-General Dr Kin Phea said hundreds of thousands of residents along the border have been forced to flee their homes and tens of thousands of students have abandoned their schools to escape the ongoing conflicts. 

“This would create an internally displaced people crisis in the Kingdom, the worst ever in the last three decades,” Kin told Bernama.

Remote northern provinces such as Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and Pursat are facing an exodus of people.

Diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Thailand are at a crossroads, while ceasefire talks have not materialised so far, and armed aggression continues. 

As an agrarian state, nearly 70 per cent of Cambodia's 17 million people are a rural-based population that relies on agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

The conflict is burdening the people.

With borders closed, schools shut down and the movement of goods restricted, it could ruin their livelihoods and many will be forced to live with a painful scar for years, especially the younger population.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had earlier warned that children should not fall victim to the escalating violence along the Cambodia-Thai border. 

“Children must be protected at all times and their safety and well-being must be prioritised, while schools must remain as safe spaces for learning,” Bangkok-based UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, June Kunugi said in a statement on July 24, just after the conflict spiralled out of control. 

Cambodia and Thailand are locked in disagreement over the various non-demarcated territories along their shared 817-km land border. 

Their dispute stretches back to 1907 when the French colonial government drew the contentious map. 

-- BERNAMA