Nighttime Border Broadcasts Frighten Cambodian Children and Prompt UN Appeal

Two Cambodian villages face nights of fear

Children in Prey Chan and Chouk Chey, two Cambodian villages in Banteay Meanchey province, have been waking to recordings of wailing voices, roaring engines, howling dogs and funeral music broadcast from the Thai side of the border since the night of October 10. By October 15, accounts of nightmares, panic and missed school had prompted an appeal to the United Nations and calls for an investigation from both sides of the frontier.

The Cambodian Human Rights Committee alleges that the broadcasts are a campaign of psychological harassment against civilians. Its president, Keo Remy, has asked the UN human rights office to investigate and send observers. Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence has dispatched a field mission, and Cambodian officials have asked the ASEAN Interim Observer Team to help verify what is happening.

Thailand's army has defended its psychological operations along the border as measures to maintain security, counter misinformation and prevent illegal activity. It says its actions meet international standards and has pledged transparency. Within Thailand, Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit has urged an inquiry into the broadcasts and any involvement by officials or social media influencers.

Families describe a more immediate problem: getting through the night. Child protection groups say children cry, suffer nightmares and refuse to attend school the following morning. Teachers describe classrooms of tired, jumpy pupils, while frightened parents sometimes keep children at home. For communities already living with border tensions, the sounds have made bedtime a source of dread.

The controversy follows months of disputes over land demarcation and demining work along parts of the Cambodia Thailand boundary. Demarcation means establishing where a border runs on the ground. Videos circulating on social media have carried fear into neighboring communities that cannot hear the broadcasts directly but now anticipate them.

What residents hear after dark

Residents describe recordings that resemble human wailing, aircraft taking off and animals in distress. Some say the volume rises after midnight before the sounds return in the early morning, around 3:30 am. Children who struggle to fall asleep may then wake in panic when another broadcast begins.

Pov Boeun, chief of Prey Chan village, said the noise has disrupted the rest that families need for farming, work and school. He described its effect on young children:

The sounds are ghostly and unnatural, and they make it very hard for young children to sleep.

Older residents with memories of conflict say they can endure the loud nights more easily than children. Their concern extends to younger people and those who are sick. One elderly villager described several nights with little or no sleep and said people had begun to dread nightfall.

The sequence described by residents and officials places the nighttime disruption before the appeals for outside scrutiny:

• October 10: Families say the broadcasts began during the night, carrying frightening recordings into Prey Chan and Chouk Chey from the Thai side of the border.
• By October 15: Child advocates were reporting nightmares, panic and school avoidance; Cambodian authorities had sought UN scrutiny and regional verification, while a Thai senator had called for an inquiry.

Keo Remy included villagers' testimony and recordings in his letter seeking UN attention. He described the timing and content of the broadcasts:

Wailing ghosts were broadcast through loudspeakers in the late evening before midnight and early morning around 3:30 am.

The repeated interruptions matter because the disruption continues into the next day. Families need rest to work, children need sleep to learn, and parents who fear another frightening night may struggle to restore ordinary routines.

How lost sleep affects children

Child psychologists and child rights groups warn that repeated frightening sounds at night can cause anxiety, disturbed sleep and stress reactions. Children may begin avoiding bed, staying constantly alert or experiencing panic. Poor sleep also affects attention and memory, making classroom learning more difficult.

Yan Lay, executive director of Child Rights Coalition Cambodia, said the persistent noise was harming children in the border communities. He described the connection between fear and disrupted sleep:

Frightening and unsafe noises disrupt children's sleep, often causing nightmares and panic attacks at night.

Children in Banteay Meanchey are reportedly crying at night, clinging to parents and avoiding school. Those behaviors are warning signs that fear is affecting daily life. Teachers face pupils who are tired and easily startled, while parents must decide whether sending a frightened child to class will help restore routine or add to the distress.

Parents also need reliable information. When adults do not know what is happening, speculation can fill the gaps. Children can pick up those fears at home or from other children, allowing anxiety to spread even when a family has not heard the recordings itself.

Child advocates advise caregivers to listen carefully, explain what is known in simple language and avoid exaggeration. Schools can provide trusted adults for children to speak with and maintain steady classroom routines. Familiar activities give children something predictable when nights feel uncertain.

Conflict memories add to the strain

Research on conflict and displacement shows that children and other vulnerable groups face a high risk of anxiety, depression and stress when exposed to traumatic events or continuing fear. The World Health Organization estimates that roughly one in ten people affected by conflict will develop serious mental health problems, with another one in ten experiencing behavioral issues.

Studies involving Cambodian communities affected by earlier crises have documented trauma lasting long after the events, alongside resilience. Family support, community ties, faith practices and access to care all help shape how people recover and cope.

Some families now hearing the broadcasts have lived through earlier violence. Older villagers may feel better prepared to endure frightening sounds because they have experienced hardship before. Repeated nights of broken sleep can still add to their stress, particularly for people who are already unwell.

Children may have fewer ways to understand or manage what they hear. A frightening recording can become part of an expectation that something bad will happen whenever darkness falls. Support from adults, clear information and opportunities to express feelings can help them regain a sense of safety.

Why the broadcasts have become a legal dispute

Cambodian officials and civil society groups argue that the broadcasts violate international law because they appear intended to intimidate civilians. They cite human rights treaties that apply whether or not open fighting is taking place.

The Convention Against Torture prohibits acts that intentionally cause severe mental suffering when committed by public officials or with their consent. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibits cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires states to protect children from all forms of mental violence.

Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit has urged Thai authorities to investigate the role of influencers and any official involvement. She warned that actions aimed at frightening civilians can cross legal limits intended to protect their dignity and mental health:

Any action that instills fear or affects the mental well being of civilians, especially vulnerable groups, may constitute psychological torture.

Whether conduct meets the legal definition of torture depends on its purpose, the severity of the suffering and the involvement of state agents. In this case, investigators would need to examine who arranged the broadcasts, who authorized or supported them, what they intended and how seriously people were affected.

If government forces or authorities supported the activity to intimidate civilians, the conduct could qualify under the Convention Against Torture. Repeated and severe broadcasts directed at civilians could also be assessed as cruel or inhuman treatment under other human rights rules. Deliberately harming children's mental health breaches widely accepted standards of protection.

Keo Remy's appeal seeks outside scrutiny of those issues. The recordings and testimony cited in his letter form part of Cambodia's allegations, while the observer and diplomatic process is intended to establish what happened and who was responsible.

The influencer and the question of intent

Cambodian authorities and local accounts have linked the noise to Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, a Thai social media figure known online as Gun Jompalang. He is known for nationalist content, has promoted nationalist messages and has appeared at the frontier.

Cambodian officials also allege that local Thai authorities and military units worked with him or allowed the broadcasts to proceed. Responsibility for organizing, authorizing or supporting the activity remains to be established through the observer and diplomatic process.

The intended purpose of the broadcasts is central to the dispute. Cambodian concerns include the possibility that fear is being used to push villagers away from farmland near contested demarcation lines. Such a purpose would connect the disruption of civilian life directly to the struggle over land.

Another issue is whether the sounds form part of a wider information battle connected to land clearing and security operations in Thailand's Sa Kaeo province. If so, the political and legal consequences could extend beyond the two villages where families describe disrupted nights.

Cambodian leaders and monks argue that using sound to frighten civilians crosses moral and legal boundaries, especially when children are affected. Their objections also place attention on the responsibility of online personalities who operate in sensitive border areas.

Videos have widened the audience for the broadcasts. Local authorities and child advocates worry that rumors and speculation on phones may intensify fear among children who already feel unsafe at night. Communities beyond the reach of the loudspeakers can still become anxious through repeated exposure to the recordings online.

Thailand's response and regional verification

Thai military officials say their psychological operations along the frontier are intended to maintain security, counter misinformation and stop illegal activity, including smuggling and unauthorized crossings. Psychological operations seek to influence how people think or behave through messages or other forms of communication.

The army says its actions comply with international standards and that it will cooperate with relevant parties to preserve peace and order along the boundary. It has also expressed a commitment to transparency.

Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence has sent a field mission, while the ASEAN Interim Observer Team is involved in verification. Phnom Penh says findings will be documented and shared through diplomatic channels. The stated goals are to establish what happened, reduce harm to civilians and ease tensions.

Thai public figures have also raised objections. Alongside Senator Angkhana's call for an inquiry, prominent journalists have warned that frightening neighboring communities damages Thailand's reputation. The debate reaches beyond military tactics to the conduct expected of security agencies and online personalities near a disputed frontier.

Verification gives the competing claims a practical focus: the timing and content of the recordings, their effects on residents and the involvement of individuals or officials. For families, the urgent concern is whether those efforts can bring an end to nights interrupted by fear.

Sound tactics reach beyond their intended audience

Loudspeakers have been used in other border confrontations. North Korea and South Korea have both broadcast propaganda and music across their boundary. Militaries have also used alarms, sirens and industrial noise to unsettle opponents.

Civilian communities present particular risks because everyone within hearing distance can be affected. Children, older people, sick residents and people with disabilities may experience greater harm than healthy adults. A sound intended to influence behavior can disrupt sleep and daily life across households with very different needs.

The villages in Banteay Meanchey combine those vulnerabilities with memories of earlier conflict. Studies of Cambodians who experienced war and displacement have found high levels of trauma years later. Endurance among older residents can exist alongside accumulated stress, especially when sleep is repeatedly interrupted.

Experience from humanitarian settings points to practical ways to limit that harm. Strong family bonds, reliable information and access to mental health support can reduce fear. Regular sleep routines, spaces where children can play and express themselves, and contact with trained counselors or volunteers can help restore a sense of control.

What families, schools and local leaders can do

Parents and caregivers can begin by acknowledging that the sounds are frightening and explaining that adults are working to stop them. Children should have opportunities to describe their feelings in their own words, without pressure to dismiss or hide their fear.

Regular bedtimes, quiet activities before bed and less screen use near bedtime can help rebuild sleep routines. Schools can make time for small group conversations, art and play, allowing children to express distress in a safe setting while returning to familiar daily activities.

Local leaders can arrange spaces for community discussions and invite health workers or trained volunteers to share practical guidance. Civil society groups in Cambodia have experience providing inexpensive support during border crises, including in temporary shelters.

Those programs include psychoeducation, which helps people understand stress and its effects, as well as games and creative activities for children. They give children ways to express themselves and rebuild confidence without depending entirely on specialized clinics.

Families whose children continue to experience nightmares, panic attacks or withdrawal should be directed to counselors or mental health services for further care. Support needs to extend beyond a single reassuring conversation when symptoms persist and interfere with ordinary life.

Reducing fear while the claims are examined

Authorities on both sides can reduce distress by issuing clear, consistent public information about what is known. Guidance for parents, warnings against spreading rumors and straightforward explanations can help families respond without adding to children's anxiety.

Stronger moderation of misleading or sensational material online, particularly posts that exaggerate the nature of the broadcasts, could limit unnecessary alarm. The concern is especially acute when children encounter frightening recordings repeatedly on phones after hearing adults discuss the border tensions.

At the diplomatic level, transparent verification, a public commitment to stop noise directed at civilians and a hotline between local commanders could provide practical routes toward relief. Those measures would connect the investigation of responsibility with the immediate need to protect residents.

As of October 15, the dispute brings together civilian protection, border diplomacy and the conduct of influential online figures. For Prey Chan and Chouk Chey, the concrete stakes remain sleep, school attendance, health and the ability to work without another night of fear hanging over the household.

Key Points

• Residents say frightening recordings have reached Prey Chan and Chouk Chey from the Thai side of the border at night since October 10.
• Child advocates report crying, nightmares, panic and school avoidance, while teachers describe tired and easily startled pupils.
• Cambodian Human Rights Committee president Keo Remy has asked the UN human rights office to investigate and send observers.
• Cambodia has dispatched a defence ministry field mission and sought verification through the ASEAN Interim Observer Team.
• Thailand's army defends its psychological operations as security measures; Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit has called for an inquiry into influencers and any official involvement.
• Cambodian authorities have linked the broadcasts to Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, known as Gun Jompalang, and allege support or permission from local Thai authorities and military units.
• Legal scrutiny centers on intent, the severity of mental suffering and state involvement. Responsibility remains under examination.
• Clear information, steady routines, school support and access to counseling can help affected children while authorities address the broadcasts.