“I Want Peace and to Go Back to School”: The Cry of a Displaced Cambodian Girl

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 26, 2025) — Beneath the white tarpaulin roof of a crowded displacement camp, a young Cambodian girl whispers her wish: to return to school.

“I really want to go back to school,” she says. “I miss my school. I miss my home. I want peace. I need to study so I can gain knowledge and help my country.”

She is one of thousands of children uprooted by Thai military strikes that have pushed far beyond the border and into Cambodian towns and villages. Her plea is echoed by another teenage girl, weary from fear and exhaustion, who longs to reunite with her family and sit in a classroom again.

Teachers say the trauma is reshaping children’s lives. “My students want to learn but are forced to run for safety,” one teacher said. “Some still come to school even while hearing explosions. I feel so sorry for them.”

Authorities report more than 1,000 schools closed along the border, disrupting education for nearly 255,000 students. Over 16,000 displaced children have been temporarily placed in schools across 24 provinces.

Officials say Thai airstrikes have expanded into Battambang, where fighter jets bombed a residential neighborhood last week. Videos show students fleeing classrooms in panic.

The Ministry of National Defence said Thursday that Thai forces allegedly used heavy weapons, tanks, drones and artillery in several locations between 5 p.m. Dec. 24 and 8 a.m. Dec. 25.

The Ministry of Interior reported that repeated bombardments since early December have killed at least 30 people, injured 87 others and displaced more than 636,000 civilians. Officials said the toll since Dec. 7 includes nine displaced civilians who died in temporary camps in Siem Reap.

Authorities said 636,536 people — including 331,707 women and 202,455 children — remain displaced, many spending the holiday season in shelters and camps. For the girl in the camp, those statistics mean one thing: a childhood interrupted. Her final words linger: “I only want peace — so I can go back to school.”