Mit Ngata barely flinched as the crump of an artillery gun sounded somewhere in the vicinity.

The 56-year-old native of Surin province, Thailand, calmly ate his rice, drawing comfort from the presence of his comrades and the close proximity of their improvised bomb shelter.

While hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in the wake of renewed fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces along their border, some, like Mit, have elected to stay behind to guard the now deserted communities.

As well as keeping watch over empty properties, they make sure pets and livestock are regularly fed and generally keep village life ticking over until things return to normality.

Sitting in the concrete bunker, in a village in Phanom Dong Rak district about 5 km from the border, he said he’s as scared as anyone by the sounds of battle but has a duty to do.

“We stay here for the sake of the village, not for ourselves. I also want to evacuate. If you ask me if I’m afraid, I’m afraid. If the shell hits you, you die,” he said, as night fell.

Thai army vehicles drove through the village as he and his unit patrolled their regular beat, in the darkness, on Tuesday.

With fighting escalating and neither side showing signs of backing down, there’s no telling yet how long the volunteers will have to maintain their lonely vigil.

AP Video shot by Jerry Harmer