Ban Nong Chan villagers have threatened to force the Cambodian settlers from Thai territory in the border village themselves, if the Thai Army and the police are unable to do so by October 31st.
Veera Somkwamkid, a political activist who has been campaigning for the return of what is claimed as Thai territory being illegally occupied by Cambodian settlers, said that the villagers would not interfere with the troops and police in the performance of their duties, but will offer them moral support.
He noted, though, that the villagers cannot wait indefinitely and agreed to give the authorities until October 31st to drive all the Cambodian settlers out of Ban Nong Chan, otherwise they would take the law into their own hands by carrying out the eviction themselves.
One of the villagers, Nongrat Chanthama, said today that she met with the commander of the First Army Region, Lt-Gen, Worayos Luangsuvan, in Ban Nong Chan in Sa Kaeo province yesterday and asked him how and when the Cambodians will be driven from Thai soil.
In response, the commander gave them his assurance that the Cambodians would definitely be evicted as planned, but he declined to elaborate.
The October 10 deadline for the evictions, set by the Sa Kaeo provincial administration, lapsed yesterday without any action being taken by Thai authorities, despite a tense standoff between the Cambodian protesters on one side and Thai crowd control police and local officials on the other.
Only the demining operation by Thai troops proceeded as planned in Ban Nong Chan village.
