As fighting intensifies along the Cambodia–Thailand border, the wife of a Cambodian soldier has fled her home with her four children after Thai F-16 fighter jets flew low over their home, highlighting the growing toll of the conflict on military families, even far from the frontlines.
Ho Vanna, whose husband is currently deployed with Cambodian forces near the disputed border area – Mom Bai, said she was at home caring for her children when a fighter jet was seen and heard flying low above their house.
Her home is very close where heavy fighting is taking place near Teuk Kraham, Rong Reung 5, Choam Khsant district, in Preah Vihear province.
“When the aircraft passed over, the ground shook and my smallest kid, a four-year-old, started crying,” she told The Post, at Kampong Sangke Pagoda, one of eight evacuee camps in Preah Vihear.
“My youngest was screaming while two of my children were at school. I didn’t know whether to hide inside or run,” she said.
She noted that she heard the sound of artillery since December 7 in the An Ses area but thought little of it, as Thai firing has become so common.
When an F-16 flew over her head, she was shocked and speechless, then rushed to hide.
She gathered her children and fled the village, leaving behind most of the family’s belongings.
Her husband, who is stationed at the frontline, was unreachable at the time.
“He is fighting for the country, and I am trying to protect our children,” she said. “That is all I can do.”
Although fear has become a constant presence, she said she accepts her husband’s duty to defend the nation, even if it leaves her to shoulder the burden of protecting their four children alone.
The uncertainty of the conflict and the sound of distant gunfire, Vanna said, have not shaken her belief that he must remain with his unit.
What troubles her most is not the hardship, but the long silence between phone calls and the thought of raising their children without him if the fighting worsens.
The family is among a growing number of civilians displaced by renewed border clashes, as hostilities between Cambodian and Thai forces force residents of border communities to seek safety elsewhere.
The Ministry of National Defence has reported that, as of 12pm on December 10, the number of displaced people reached 127,133 from 37,115 families.
Local authorities have reported evacuations from several villages close to areas of military engagement, citing risks from artillery fire and aerial activity.
Min Sitha, deputy governor of Preah Vihear Province, is overseeing the evacuation camps in the province. He said he understands the hardships faced by military families whose husbands and fathers are away defending the nation rather than protecting their families at home.
Although all essential relief kits are distributed equally among evacuees across the eight campsites in Preah Vihear, military families receive additional assistance, such as support in building tents.
“We cannot provide more relief kits than what the authorities have planned to distribute equally to all evacuees. However, if donors wish to support military families specifically, we facilitate that assistance,” Sitha told The Post.
As of noon, the number of evacuees at Kampong Sangke Pagoda totalled 709 families, 2,144 people, while the eight camps in the province are housing 21,639 people from 6,133 families.
Thai forces initiated a series of attacks on Cambodian positions in Military Region 4 on December 10, 2025, according to a summarised timeline released by the defence ministry.
The conflict, which began at 05.20am with an attack in the Ta Mone Temple area, escalated rapidly.
By 07.05, Thai forces were using aircraft to drop bombs behind the temple, followed shortly by heavy artillery and aerial bombing directed at the temple itself.
“The assault broadened by 08:00 to include attacks on multiple areas such as Ta Krabei Temple, Khna Temple, Thmar Don, Ta Thav and An Ses,” said the ministry.
At 09:40, Thai forces reportedly used multiple fighter aircraft to drop bombs on designated targets including An Ses, Phnom Khmoch and Preah Vihear Temple.
“This air campaign was followed by Thai infantry advances into the Veal Entry and Chamkar Chek areas,” it said.
As the conflict continues, the soldier’s wife said her hopes are simple.
“I just want my children to be safe,” Vanna said quietly. “And I want my husband to come home alive. We don’t want anything else.”
