SURIN — An elderly woman from Surin province tearfully recounted the heartbreaking moment her beloved 7-year-old grandson died in her arms, while her son remains in critical condition, after a Cambodian military shell struck their home in Kab Choeng district on Thursday. Fearing her son’s condition might worsen, she hasn’t told him that his child has died.
Mrs. Sathon, grandmother of Nam Khong, an 8-year-old boy who was killed when a Cambodian military shell hit residential houses in Ban Chonrok, Village 2, Dan Subdistrict, Kab Choeng District, Surin Province, shared her story at 8:30 p.m. on July 24. She described the tragic moment of losing her beloved grandson while her son remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Mrs. Sathon said she has two grandchildren named Nam Kang and Nam Khong. The incident that claimed Nam Khong’s life happened very quickly.
At the time, she and her grandchildren were at home, having just finished tidying up. They were waiting for their grandfather to return from tending to the buffalo and had already picked up the children from school. Suddenly, they heard a thunderous sound and thick smoke filled the air.
“I could only run around looking for my children and grandchildren before collapsing. The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see anything. When the smoke cleared, I rushed outside to find my son and grandchildren lying scattered around. My youngest grandson was lying face-down on the ground. I cried until I nearly fainted,” she said.
“My son crawled over, despite being injured, and asked ‘Mother, where is Nam Khong?’ He was trying to get cloth to wipe the blood from his child. I told my son not to crawl, that I would get cloth to clean the wounds myself. Then I cried and held my grandson in my arms before calling for help. But there was no one around at that moment. My granddaughter was also injured. I tried to revive my grandson, but he lay motionless.”
Mrs. Sathon continued that after 30 minutes, a local administrative organization official happened to drive by and told them to get in the car immediately, as they couldn’t wait for an ambulance any longer.
The official was very kind-hearted. Halfway to the hospital, her youngest grandson died in her arms, never making it to medical care. Nam Khong’s father has been constantly asking about his son’s condition and has just come out of surgery.
“The family hasn’t told the son the truth that Nam Khong has died because we’re afraid his condition will deteriorate. What happened was extremely cruel. The people didn’t know anything or do anything wrong. I want to curse them to suffer like our children and grandchildren. I also want to ask the Thai government to come help us because our homes have been completely destroyed.”
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