The Cambodia Palestine Solidarity group held an August 16 vigil at the Royal Palace Plaza in memory of the more than 270 journalists killed in Gaza, joining simultaneous actions across Southeast Asia to honour their lives and voices.
The gathering also marked the launch of a new donation campaign to support families in north Gaza during the upcoming Pchum Ben festival.
Organisers said the campaign, which will run until September 23, aims to raise $5,000 to purchase food and essentials for families under siege.
Funds will be distributed through trusted networks connected to a Palestinian member of the group whose relatives still live in Gaza.
“Last weekend’s Southeast Asia solidarity vigil for the 270+ martyred journalists was a message for us and the world that their voices will continue to be heard until Palestine is fully liberated,” said Miguel Jeronimo, a Phnom Penh-based photographer, one of the organisers.
“The tides are shifting. More people are seeing through the lies of the Zionist regime,” he added.
The new campaign comes as humanitarian needs in Gaza deepen.
“One million people are trapped in a small area under threat of a major military invasion,” Jeronimo stated.
“During Pchum Ben, we honour our ancestors by caring for the living. Your donation — no matter how small — will go directly to trusted networks on the ground,” he continued.
For many Cambodians, solidarity with Palestine resonates with their own history of war, displacement, and survival.
“If there are people who can understand what it is to find oneself fleeing for one’s life, hungry and injured, in the midst of a conflict caught in international politics, it is the Cambodians,” said Adana Mam-Legros, an artist who organised a parallel fundraising initiative last year.
From now until September 23, the organisers are raising funds to help families in central Gaza prepare for what’s coming.
