People sleep on the ground with chickens, pigs and puppies they brought from home. But the refugees have also begun to carry on with their lives. Within days, food and basic consumer products were being brought from other Thai villages and sold in the premises. Yet war is never too far way. Fighting is getting closer to Cambodia's border with Thailand, which is 10 kms from the camp.
Refugees can sometimes still hear the sound of artillery shells and gunfire.
Many of them are torn between worrying about what they had left behind at home, and the fear of being sent back to the war zone. Many Cambodians hope international organizations like the United Nations can give assistance as in the past, but this no longer seems as easy. We don't want them to live an uncomfortable life here, but we will give humanitarian support to them and will accept them in our territory as long as the fighting is stll going on. Once the war ends we want them to go back home to continue their normal life,'' Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said recently. The Thai foreign ministry said it prefers that displaced Cambodians take shelter in a safe area on Cambodian soil.