Kantharalak: EOD officers are set to recover and destroy two more BM-21 rockets in the rice fields of Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province, after they were fired by Cambodia on July 24. A 63-year-old grandmother shared her fears about her relatives who were captured as soldiers in Cambodia and have not been heard from since, fearing they might have died without a trace.
According to Thai News Agency, officers from the Sisaket Provincial Police EOD Unit, the 22nd Border Patrol Police Regiment, and the National Mine Action Center (TMAC), Military Command Center, Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, successfully cleared and destroyed a BM21 high explosive ordnance in Thung Yai Subdistrict, Kantharalak District. The ordnance was launched from Cambodia, landing approximately one kilometer from residential areas and a gas station where a previous BM21 rocket had struck. Media personnel were permitted to document the operation but were kept at a safe distance. Authorities are now inspecting the site for any remaining bomb fragments.
In the midst of these tensions, a shelter in Kantharalak District remains filled with residents. Efforts are being made to provide them with activities to alleviate stress, while a mental health team from the Sisaket Provincial Public Health Office is monitoring residents’ well-being and offering support.
Grandma Onchan, a local resident, shared her distress over her Cambodian relatives, many of whom were forced into military service. Her daughter informed her of their deaths, and those who resist military conscription face severe repercussions, including land confiscation and loss of citizenship. Onchan has not been able to contact her conscripted relatives and fears they have perished, with their bodies yet to be recovered. Social media posts searching for relatives or criticizing the Cambodian government result in arrests, exacerbating the climate of fear. Onchan is particularly worried about her daughter and remains skeptical about the outcomes of the GBC meeting, harboring distrust towards Cambodia.
Another refugee, a 68-year-old Thai woman, recounted her relatives’ dissatisfaction with the Cambodian government, expressing their desire to relocate to Thailand. Despite receiving basic care at the shelter, she remains anxious about her home and property and struggles with insomnia. Her primary hope is for peace to be restored. Financially strained, with only 100 baht and unable to work, she empathizes with the plight of the Cambodian people.