Swiss man in Thailand tells of evacuation from conflict zone

After a simmering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia flared up this week, tens of thousands of people had to flee to safety – including Swiss expat Charly Hofmann, who lives in the border region. When tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated on Thursday, Charly Hofmann still sounded confident on social media. But on Friday morning, when Swissinfo tried to contact the 71-year-old, the situation had changed. “We’re evacuating. Travelling to San Kaeo. I’m the driver. Can’t speak,” Hofmann wrote back. By midday (Swiss time), we managed to reach him by phone in the Thai city some 80 kilometres away. He and his family were safe. “We’re staying in a gym,” Hofmann says. The conflict zone is actually quite far from his home, he explains. But as tensions rose, there had suddenly been shooting just 17 kilometres from where he lives. “The village authorities therefore decided that we had to evacuate,” says the Swiss emigrant. Hofmann fled in a rush, along with two pick-up ...