Thai authorities gear up to help evacuees return home
Surin governor Chamnan Chuentha said on Friday that the situation in most areas along the border had stabilised following the General Border Committee (GBC) meetings in Kuala Lumpur, where the two countries signed a 13-point ceasefire agreement on Thursday.
Transport is being arranged in coordination with shelters and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with the first phase prioritising bedridden patients and those in need of special care. The return process is expected to take two to three days, said Mr Chamnan.
According to the governor, conditions in Sangkha district have fully returned to normal, while Kap Choeng, once a flashpoint, is also calm.
Minor damage in parts of Prasat district of the province is being repaired. In Phanom Dong Rak, most areas are safe, except Ta Miang and Bak Dai subdistricts, where the military remains on high alert.
Mr Chamnan said he hopes the state of emergency will be lifted soon so that rehabilitation can begin. He also urged the government to provide urgent income support for farmers whose livelihoods have been disrupted.
In neighbouring Buri Ram, governor Chaiwat Chuntirapong has not yet authorised a full return, especially for vulnerable groups, pending confirmation from the 2nd Army Region. This comes despite the ceasefire agreement.
Many residents, however, have already begun returning on their own. In Ban Kruat district, which was heavily hit, more than 240 artillery and rocket impacts were recorded. Most unexploded shells have been disabled, but some remain.
Deputy Defence Minister Natthaphon Nakphanich said he had asked the acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai to assign police and village security teams to protect evacuees' property.
He warned residents not to return prematurely due to the danger of unexploded ordnance, and has authorised local authorities to decide on returns without having to wait for central government approval.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health is also providing mental health support for Border Patrol Police officers, who have reported high stress levels. It is also monitoring environmental hazards in the conflict zones.
At least 3,000 sets of N95 masks and basic medicines are being distributed to frontline staff and residents, while water sources are being inspected to prevent disease outbreaks.
Mr Phumtham is scheduled to visit Si Sa Ket on Saturday with Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa to inspect damage at key sites and meet evacuees.
Mr Phumtham stressed that his visit should not burden the military, which is currently focused on its duties.
He said he would also visit the crowded evacuation centres to observe conditions. Although the government has not yet issued a blanket order for people to return, he has instructed the 2nd Army Region to coordinate with the four provincial governors to determine when the residents can safely return home.
Meanwhile, a cabinet committee will visit 12 shelters in Surin, Si Sa Ket, Buri Ram and Ubon Ratchathani on Saturday and Sunday to assess damage for a second round of aid covering homes, farms and livestock, according to government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
6 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Thailand denies plan to seize temple
The Royal Thai Army has denied an allegation made by Cambodia that Thailand was preparing military action to seize the Ta Kwai temple, which lies on the disputed border between the two countries. The allegation followed media reports in that Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, the commander of the 2nd Army Region, had announced plans to seize the Ta Krabei temple, also known as Ta Kwai in Thailand. The commander reportedly said the temple belongs to Thailand and must be taken back. A report published by the news website said that in response to the claim, Phnom Penh is urging the international community to pressure Thailand to honour the ceasefire agreement, not just in words but through concrete action. Lt Gen Maly Socheata, the Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson, said on Monday that Lt Gen Boonsin's remarks represented a violation of the ceasefire that took effect at midnight on July 28. It also undermined the spirit of the Cambodia–Thailand General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Malaysia on Aug 7, she said. Citing the joint statement issued after that meeting, she noted that both sides had agreed not to move troops — including patrol units — toward the other's positions. She described Lt Gen Boonsin's comments as 'clear evidence of a deliberate plan to infringe on Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity'. Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, the Thai army spokesman, said the comments by Lt Gen Maly misrepresented Lt Gen Boonsin's remarks about the contested temple. Maj Gen Winthai insisted that Lt Gen Boonsin had only stated that Ta Kwai was under Thai sovereignty, and that he did not order troops to advance towards Cambodian positions around the disputed site. He said Thai troops are currently stationed about 30 metres from the site. While he said there are currently no plans to seize the disputed temple, he said efforts would be made in the future to bring the temple back under Thai control through appropriate means. The general's comments, he added, were neither provocative nor indicative of planned military action. 'I insist that the Second Army Region commander never mentioned the use of troops,' he said. Landmines still a danger Maj Gen Winthai also criticised Cambodia's use of anti-personnel mines and accused its spokesperson of distorting facts during a recent visit that Phnom Penh organised for military attaches from nine countries to inspect the damage caused by skirmishes. He said the use of anti-personnel mines was intended to disguise violations of the ceasefire agreement and that it was no different to using artillery to attack Thailand directly. On Saturday, three Thai soldiers were injured after stepping on a PMN-2 landmine along a regular logistics route near Chong Don Ao-Krisana in Si Sa Ket, an area that had previously been cleared by a Thai army mine action unit, he said. Cambodia was suspected of planting new mines in several locations since border tensions flared on May 28, he said, adding that on Aug 4, Thai forces found 18 PMN-2 mines in Phu Makua in Si Sa Ket. Maj Gen Winthai said the Thai military strictly follows international rules of engagement and limits its strikes to military targets. Cambodian allegations of civilian casualties are unfounded, he said. Meanwhile, the Thai Mine Action Centre (TMAC) and related agencies have recovered 384 pieces of ordnance from border areas in the four northeastern provinces between Aug 1 and 9, according to the army. These included BM-21 rockets, artillery shells, mortar rounds and other types of explosives: 80 items were recovered in Buri Ram, 218 items in Surin, 70 items in Si Sa Ket and 16 items in Ubon Ratchathani.
Bangkok Post
7 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
China defends censorship of Bangkok art show
BEIJING - China on Monday accused organisers of an art exhibition in Bangkok of distorting its policies on Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong after the show's co-curator said artworks were removed or altered at Beijing's request. The exhibition, which opened on July 24, 'promoted the fallacies of so-called 'Tibetan independence', 'the East Turkestan Islamic Movement' and 'Hong Kong independence',' distorted China's policies and 'undermined China's core interests and political dignity', the foreign ministry replied to Reuters questions about the show. The Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre removed or altered artworks on Hong Kong as well as the Chinese government's treatment of ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang at the request of the Chinese embassy. The Chinese foreign ministry neither confirmed nor denied that the embassy was behind the removal and alteration. China has been building its influence in Southeast Asia, where governments tread cautiously as they balance cooperation with the regional economic giant against concerns over political sovereignty. The Bangkok show, 'Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity', had a theme of authoritarian governments and featured multiple works by artists in exile. The co-curator, the gallery and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'The fact that the relevant country took timely measures precisely shows that the promotion of the fallacies of 'Tibetan independence', 'East Turkestan Islamic Movement' and 'Hong Kong independence' has no market internationally and is unpopular,' the Chinese ministry said, referring to Thailand. China is against anyone 'using the guise of cultural and artistic exchange to engage in political manipulation and interfere in China's internal affairs', it added.
Bangkok Post
8 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Labour expert warns against importing Sri Lankan workers
A plan to bring in unskilled workers from Sri Lanka is not the right solution to the exodus of Cambodian labourers and it will backfire on Thailand in the long run, a prominent labour expert warned on Monday. Lae Dilokvidhyarat urged the Ministry of Labour to seriously rethink its plan for Sri Lankans to fill in the void left by Cambodians who have fled home en masse amid rumours that their homes, lives and families would be in danger if they continued to work in Thailand. The large-scale exodus began after the fatal armed clashes between the two countries over disputed border areas last month and is still continuing. 'A plan to use a workforce of Sri Lankans is not a minor issue. I am not certain that this will address the problem,' Mr Lae told CU Radio of Chulalongkorn University. Sri Lankans would need time to adjust to Thailand as they do not possess the same skills that Thais and workers in the kingdom's neighbouring countries have learned, said Mr Lae, who is the chief adviser for the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and a former lecturer on labour economy at Chulalongkorn University. Thai labourers and their colleagues from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have the same skills in farming and other fields, he said. As well, he said, importing labourers from other countries was more than just an economic issue as it also involves values, including culture and religion, shared by foreign workers and people in the host country. Thailand takes in unskilled workers from its immediate neighbours because of those factors as they could easily adjust to Thai society, he added. The country would have another problem when it comes to dealing with Sri Lankan workers after the conflict with Cambodia ends and workers from Cambodia start to return, Mr Lae continued. 'The Ministry of Labour must seriously think about these issues,' he said. Tens of thousands of Cambodian workers have moved back to their home country, with Thailand facilitating their return by opening the border gates for them. The exact number of returnees is not known. Government agencies estimate the figure at 500,000, with about 300,000 of them passing through the gates in Chanthaburi province. On Monday alone, the Ban Laem crossing in Pong Nam Ron district of Chanthaburi allowed about 2,500 Cambodians to leave Thailand, the provincial public information office reported. Mr Lae estimated that about 1.5 million Cambodians — only 500,000 of them legally registered — worked for Thai employers, largely in the fishing, farming, construction and service sectors. Another solution The Ministry of Labour proposed a plan to bring in workers from Sri Lanka last month. Labour Minister Pongkawin Lungrungruangkit said last Friday that a memorandum of understanding would be signed with the Sri Lankan government to import 10,000 Sri Lankans in the first step to fill the void by Cambodians. 'This will be another alternative for business operators in managing their workforce,' the Department of Employment said in a Facebook post. Mr Lae said the best short-term solution was to increase quotas for workers from Myanmar and Laos, and even to woo workers from Vietnam to compensate for the shortage. He also advised the government to seriously adopt new technologies to move Thailand from labour-intensive industries and to upskill Thai workers to equip them to serve an economy driven less by low-skilled manpower.
