Burapha Force lifts Sa Kaeo curfew; flag raised at Ban Nong Chan

The Burapha Force under the First Army Area Command on Tuesday lifted the curfew it had imposed on four Sa Kaeo border districts with immediate effect, while Thai troops raised the national flag at Ban Nong Chan, an area previously occupied by Cambodian encroachers.

The Burapha Force said threats to people’s lives and property from outside the country had receded and were now under control, prompting the decision to lift the curfew to minimise disruption to daily life. It said lifting the restriction would also support the economy and tourism.

On December 10, the Burapha Force imposed a curfew in Ta Phraya, Khok Sung, Aranyaprathet and Klong Had districts, prohibiting people from leaving their homes between 7pm and 5am the following day.

In Ban Nong Chan village in Khok Sung, residents gathered to celebrate what they described as the retaking of the village from Cambodian occupiers. As part of the ceremony, Thai troops raised the national flag on top of shipping containers placed in a line along the border as a fence to declare Thai territory.

Villagers said they were overjoyed to see the flag flying again in Ban Nong Chan after Cambodian encroachers had held the area for decades. They said Ban Nong Chan belonged to Thailand and that many families had been forced to leave their land. They added they were glad the authorities had not ignored their plight.

Thailand allowed Cambodian refugees to set up a camp at Ban Nong Chan in 1979 following Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia. After the Cambodian civil war ended in the 1990s, many refugees did not return home, instead remaining and building permanent structures that later formed a community Cambodia recognises as Chok Chea village.

Thailand asserts the settlement lies between border markers 46 and 47, which it says is clearly within Thai territory. Thai authorities argue Cambodia has exploited Thailand’s goodwill by encouraging permanent settlement to create a de facto claim to the land.

After a second round of border clashes broke out, Thai troops also moved to seize and secure the Ban Nong Chan area.

The Thai Army has said Cambodian civilians who fled the recent fighting cannot return to their homes in Ban Nong Chan. Under the ceasefire terms, it said civilians may return only to areas under their own country’s current military control; since Thailand now occupies the Ban Nong Chan settlement area, it considers it fully under Thai jurisdiction.