Thai EOD teams clear remaining BM-21 rockets in Surin

SURIN — May 8, 2026 — Explosive ordnance disposal teams in Surin province are racing against time to find and destroy the last remaining unexploded BM-21 rockets from border clashes before farmers can return to their fields. Pol. Lt. Col. Watcharin Chanthom, head of the EOD special operations unit in Surin provincial police, led officers and humanitarian demining teams to sugarcane fields and rice paddies west of Ban Chorok village in Dan subdistrict, Kap Choeng district on Thursday to clear six remaining impact sites from a barrage of BM-21 rockets fired on July 24, 2025—the same attack that killed an 8-year-old boy known as "Nong Namkhong" and 32-year-old Bandit Unjit.

Authorities used scanning equipment to search for explosives before excavating two sites. The first location showed the rocket had detonated on impact with fragments still buried underground. At a second sugarcane field, crews dug nearly 10 meters deep but could not locate the rocket after groundwater flooded the excavation. Officials explained that the rocket likely sank deeper than 10 meters into the rain-soaked soil during the monsoon season and no longer posed a threat, noting that BM-21 rockets can penetrate more than 20 meters underground in saturated conditions.

The sugarcane field owner expressed reassurance and planned to place a concrete pipe over the location as a marker while using the groundwater for irrigation. Authorities said the remaining four sites would be excavated within two days. The operation was conducted under observation by senators, provincial officials, and local administrators as part of broader visits to border communities affected by the fighting and compensation efforts for residents impacted.

Lt. Gen. Boonchan Nuansai, a senator from Surin province, thanked EOD officers for helping ensure villager safety. In Kap Choeng district alone, including Dan and Ta Tien subdistricts, 189 BM-21 rockets have been identified, with eight additional suspected impact points still under investigation. In neighboring Phanom Dong Rak district, authorities estimate between 400 and 500 BM-21 rockets landed during the first round of fighting, with later clashes involving heavier RPG use.

The clearance operation began after residents requested assistance from district authorities to ensure fields were safe before planting crops. Suphon Kanphai, 47, owner of one of the sugarcane fields, said he discovered impact marks and metal fragments after inspecting his land following the clashes. "Nearly 10 rockets fell in this area alone," he said. "Some craters were very small and could disappear after heavy rain washed soil over them." Although the rocket at his site was not recovered, he expressed confidence in the authorities' assessment and no longer feared returning to work his land.