A few Nordic media had found some of their own nationals living in the affected border areas and asked them how the war has impacted them and their Thai families.
Danish TV2 had found Danish national Morten Rasmussen who lives in the village of Wat Ban Khwao, five kilometers from Kantharalak. From there, it is only a half-hour drive to the Cambodian border. He is therefore personally feeling the escalation of the conflict between the two countries.
In the town where he lives, there are usually 1,500 people. Now only 20 remain, including Morten Rasmussen and his girlfriend.
“We are not allowed to have the lights on. Everything is shut down, and we cannot get food. Today I drove for an hour and a half just to be able to shop,” he tells TV 2.
He and his girlfriend have so far chosen to stay in the town, as he will soon travel to Laos to renew his visa. But if the conflict escalates further, their plan is clear:
“I am not afraid, but of course I am concerned. I do not think it will directly affect our town. Otherwise, we are close to the main road. If something happens in our town, we will be gone,” says Morten Rasmussen.
Video is here:
The Norwegian news media VG had found a Norwegian family visiting their Thai family near the border to Cambodia and interviewed her.
Camilla Kwanrutai Kleven, a 24-year-old Norwegian-Thai woman and her 18-year-old sister, Catrine, and their mother, Noknoi. were visiting family in Ban Kruat district near the Thai-Cambodian border when the conflict between the two countries escalated.
On Thursday morning, after hearing nearby explosions, the family quickly evacuated. Camilla told VG.
They only managed to take a small bag with passports and a phone before fleeing.
“We jumped in the car. The family was crying, and we just had to get away. There was chaos on the roads and long queues at petrol stations, which soon closed,” she tells VG.
Camilla explains that Thai authorities are advising people not to share their exact locations, so she would not reveal where they are now, only that they have travelled north from the border.
She is worried about relatives who stayed behind, including uncles and aunts who must care for cattle and rice fields. Several children in the family, aged 8 to 15, were at school when they heard the bombing. Her grandmother initially remained in an above-ground bunker but was picked up later in the day.
Camilla says that most of the village is now deserted, with shops and schools closed, and people hearing bomb blasts through the night.
Having registered with Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Camilla says Norwegian authorities have informed her that the Thai military advises people to stay 20–40 kilometres away from the areas with active fighting.
“It is very scary, and I can feel it in my body. But it doesn’t feel real,” she says, adding that the family plans to stay in Thailand for now.
A Dane worth following who lives near the affected area is Kurt Rasmussen, who among Danes is welknown for his remarkable efforts to open the eyes of the Danish politicians about the unfair reduction of Danish pension for Danes who settle outside the EU.
Kurt Rasmussen is leading a collection of donations to assist the refugees in his village, using the below image.
