War Through a Mother’s Tears: Inside Cambodia’s Displacement Camps, Where Peace Is the Only Wish

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (Dec. 15, 2025) — “I don’t want war. I just want to see my husband and my child again.”

In a crowded displacement camp in Kralanh district, a Cambodian mother speaks through tears, her exhaustion mirroring the trauma of tens of thousands forced to flee renewed fighting along the Cambodia–Thailand border.

She escaped from the Tamoan Temple area in Oddar Meanchey province after days of fear and uncertainty. Yet even here, far from artillery and aircraft, her heart remains at the frontline, where her husband serves as a soldier.

“Life here is not like home,” she said softly. “But as long as we have something to eat, it is enough. And as long as the soldiers at the front are safe, that is all that matters.”

Her plea is echoed across camps where safety does not bring peace of mind. “I don’t want gifts. I don’t want anything else. I just want peace. I want my child to go back to school. I want to go home and live with my husband again.”

The conflict entered its ninth day Monday. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence reported intensified Thai operations, including F‑16 bombing runs near Oujik Bridge in Svay Samnang district. Authorities said no civilians were killed in those strikes, but the toll continues to climb: 13 dead, 74 injured, and more than 405,000 displaced.

In makeshift shelters, childhood is interrupted and family bonds stretched across battle lines. Mothers worry about food, shelter and loved ones fighting far away. Their voices rarely reach negotiation tables, yet their message remains urgent:

“I don’t want war,” she said, wiping her tears. “I just want peace — so my family can be together again.”