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Displaced residents on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border remain in evacuation shelters despite a ceasefire agreement, citing distrust and fear that the truce may collapse like previous ones.
Kanlaya Somjettana, a 21-year-old homemaker sheltering at a university campus in Thailand's Surin city, said she would not return home until authorities confirmed it was safe. While some evacuees began returning home Sunday, a day after the ceasefire was announced, hundreds remained at the evacuation center.
"I really hope this ceasefire will last long and we can return home," Kanlaya said. "But I will not go back home as long as authorities do not confirm that it is safe."
The truce follows three weeks of renewed cross-border fighting that killed at least 47 people and displaced more than a million on both sides. A previous round of fighting in July lasted five days and killed dozens before a ceasefire was brokered and subsequently broken. Many displaced by the latest violence had also evacuated during the July clashes.
Officials on both sides reported the day-old ceasefire was holding on Sunday, though most areas had not received an all-clear notice.
On the Cambodian side, So Choeun, 35, who expected to give birth within days, sheltered with family under makeshift tents at a Buddhist pagoda in Banteay Meanchey province. Her home sat approximately one kilometer from the border.
"Despite the ceasefire, we dare not return home yet. We are still frightened," So Choeun said. "We will wait to see the situation for a few days, if it stays calm."
Some evacuees said economic pressures outweighed security concerns. Saichon Wongpitak, a 38-year-old rice and cassava farmer from Thailand's Sisaket province, planned to return home Sunday afternoon after speaking with a neighbor who reported no gunfire since the previous day.
"We have fear... but we have jobs to do at home, we have cattle at home, we have our farm," Saichon said. She added that her family would evacuate again if necessary but expressed skepticism about the ceasefire's longevity.
Under the truce agreement, both countries agreed to cease fire, freeze troop movements, and allow civilians in border areas to return home as soon as possible.
Thailand is committed to returning 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July within 72 hours.
Kot Ngik, 43, sheltering at a camp for displaced people in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, welcomed the possibility that children could soon return to school but remained wary.
"We don't trust the Thai military yet," she said. "At this point, we are not sure about the situation. They can fight again at any time."
So Choeun noted the immediate change the ceasefire brought. "Yesterday morning, I could hear loud bangs, but I have not heard them since 12:00 p.m. yesterday," she said.
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