Prominent Cambodian lawmaker Suos Yara visited a refugee centre at a Buddhist temple in Sotr Nikum district, Siem Reap province on August 2, offering support to hundreds of children displaced by recent cross-border conflicts.
Approximately 200,000 individuals, including children from Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, were forced from their homes by the fighting, with much of the civilian infrastructure destroyed.
Yara met with the refugees at Wat Banteay Srei as part of a two-day diplomatic mission to Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap province. He c accompanied foreign minister Prak Sokhonn and several foreign diplomats. The tour came five days after the July 28 ceasefire.
“We want peace! We want to go home! We want to go back to school,” the children told Yara.
Addressing the refugees, Sokhonn paid his respects to those who lost their lives in the conflict and expressed hope for a swift return to normalcy.
“I hope all refugees can go home soon and that things return to normal,” he said.
In a separate event, organised by the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC), Yara engaged with more than 500 schoolchildren and infants displaced from border regions. The gathering featured patriotic songs such as “Kun Merl Tov Mek” (Looking at the Sky) and “Den Dei Khmer” (Land of the Khmers”), uplifting the spirits of the young evacuees.
The event was coordinated with support from around 30 members of the Sotr Nikum branch of the UYFC, who also lead the Young Parliamentarians at the National Assembly.
On Friday, diplomatic representatives from Phnom Penh visited Banteay Ampil district in Oddar Meanchey. In Kok Mon district, just 20 kilometres from the Thai border, they assessed damage to homes and a temple that were shelled by Thai forces before the ceasefire took effect.
The delegation also visited a health centre at Wat Phnom Thmor Kambor and several temporary shelters which house displaced civilians.
The guests included diplomats from Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, Vietnam and the EU, as well as representatives from UN agencies like the FAO, IOM, UNFPA and WFP.
“We need ASEAN and international peacekeepers to be on the ground to objectively monitor the ceasefire to ensure peace, impartiality and justice,” said Yara.
He also expressed gratitude to current ASEAN chair Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, US President Donald Trump and China for their roles in securing the ceasefire.
