Reclaiming Thai Land! Nong Chan Residents Return Home After 40+ Years of Disputed Territory

The Burapha Task Force has successfully reclaimed Thai territory, bringing residents of Nong Chan village back to their homeland for farming after more than 40 years of Cambodian occupation and control.

On May 18, 2025, the atmosphere along the Thai-Cambodian border in Kok Sung District, Sakaeo Province, has become active once again. The Burapha Task Force and specialist forest reserve units have entered the Nong Chan area in Non Makmun Subdistrict to ensure security and facilitate residents who are gradually bringing in tractors and heavy machinery to reclaim their agricultural land. Thailand has successfully restored sovereignty over the disputed territory after a lengthy period.

The area had been continuously invaded and occupied by Cambodian forces for over 40 years, causing many residents to lose the opportunity to farm their ancestral lands. Recently, the Thai military has fully secured and controlled the territory, allowing original landowners to begin returning home to rehabilitate the area for agricultural use once again.

Initially, four villagers have brought machinery to prepare the land, covering approximately 146 rai total, under strict security measures by military personnel. The area remains at risk from unexploded ordnance left over from past conflicts. During operations, officials discovered a suspicious object resembling a buried explosive device in an agricultural plot, prompting an immediate halt to clearing work and cordoning off the dangerous area. The Humanitarian Demining Unit 1 was called in to urgently inspect and retrieve the ordnance.

Authorities have stated they will expedite scanning and clearing operations to ensure the area is 100 percent safe before allowing residents to confidently return and resume farming. This marks another significant step in returning Thai territory to the people after they have waited for more than four decades.