Body of Thai soldier killed by landmine flown home to family
The body of the soldier killed by landmine in Si Sa Ket province this week was transported to his hometown in Uttaradit province by helicopter on Saturday for funeral rites.
Sergeant Akkaraphol Phuwadolworanat of the army’s 21st Artillery Regiment was killed on Thursday after a landmine exploded while his team was removing landmines from previous conflicts in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district, which borders Cambodia.
Another soldier, Sergeant Warongkorn Sri-ngam, was seriously injured by the blast and is being treated at Si Sa Ket Hospital.
General Suphachai Narinthornphakdi, director of the Thailand Mine Action Centre (TMAC), on Saturday led a ritual ahead of transporting Akkaraphol’s body by helicopter to his family in Uttaradit.
“Sergeant Akkaraphol was an excellent officer who had been working with TMAC for over three years. He was dedicated to making every part of Thailand safe from landmines,” Suphachai said.
Kantharalak district was the site of a decades-long dispute over territory around the ancient Angkorian temple of Preah Vihear, which is located on a mountaintop.
The mountaintop was also one of the last remaining strongholds of the Khmer Rouge, which used landmines to prevent Cambodian government forces from capturing them.
The humanitarian demining mission is a joint operation of the Defence Ministry, TMAC, and Cambodian authorities. Their goal is to remove landmines from border areas to ensure the safety of local residents.
The Defence Ministry has so far cleared landmines from 2,527 square kilometres in 21 provinces, it said, adding that a remaining 29.7 square kilometres in six provinces still need to be cleared.
On Thursday Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed condolences to the families of both soldiers, and instructed commanding officers to be extra cautious for the rest of the mission. He also instructed the army to promote the deceased sergeant and provide benefits to his family.
