But village co-leader Keng Pitonam, 55, is also reluctant to depart. Loading grass onto his three-wheeled cart to feed his livestock, he is now responsible for dozens of neighbours’ animals as well as their homes.
“I have to stay — it’s my duty,” Keng told AFP.
“I’m not afraid. I can’t abandon my responsibilities,” he said.
“If someone like me — a leader — leaves the village, what would that say? I have to be here to serve the community, no matter what happens.”
His local temple has become a makeshift donation and rescue hub, parked with ambulances inside its perimeter.
“I have to stay — to be a spiritual anchor for those who remain,” said the abbot, declining to give his name. “Whatever happens, happens.”
Huddled in a bunker just 10 kilometres from the border, Sutian Phiewchan spoke to AFP by phone, pausing as his words were interrupted by the crackle of gunfire.
He remained behind to fulfil his obligations as a volunteer for the local civil defence force, activated to protect the roughly 40 people still staying there.
“Everyone here is afraid and losing sleep,” the 49-year-old said.
“We’re doing this without pay. But it’s about protecting the lives and property of the people in our village.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thais-and-cambodians-refuse-quit-homes-clash-frontier-5261561
