By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook
SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -When the Thai and Cambodian armies began shelling at their contested border on Thursday, Komsan Prachan thought his family was far enough away from the fighting to be safe.
The farm worker received a phone call from his children’s school asking parents to collect their kids, so he and his wife went and picked up their 14-year-old daughter, 9-year-old son, and their son’s friend.
On the way home, they stopped at a gas station about 3 km (2 miles) from their house.
Moments later, an artillery shell slammed into the station, destroying the attached 7-Eleven convenience store where Komsan’s family and the friend had gone to buy snacks.
“All I was thinking then was, my wife and kids,” the 40-year-old told Reuters at a relative’s home in Sisaket province.
“I lost all hope. I could only stand and watch.”
More than 30 people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides of the border since the fighting started on Thursday, in what has become the worst escalation between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. Both sides have accused each other of starting the conflict.
Komsan could hear explosions from early on Thursday morning, but he did not think he needed to evacuate because his house was not in a danger zone.
“I didn’t think it would hit this area. There was no bunker around that area as it was considered a safe zone.”
Komsan and his wife met in high school. They married after working together for several years in Bangkok, and raised their two children.
“Having them in my life was the greatest blessing,” he said.
More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with schools forced to close their doors. Local university campuses are being used as temporary shelters for those forced to flee their homes.
“The war is good for no one. They should both talk to each other peacefully. The war only brings loss, loss, and loss,” said Komsan.
The bereaved husband and father accused the Cambodian government of indiscriminately firing into civilian areas.
“This is not just war, this is murder.”
(Reporting by Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook; Editing by John Mair and Jan Harvey)
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