Many displaced people have now left the evacuation centres in Thailand’s Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces to return home, after border tensions eased and their communities and farmlands have been cleared of any unexploded ordnance fired by Cambodian forces during the five days of bloody fighting late last month.
In Surin, where fierce fighting was reported, about 80% of those displaced have already returned home. The remainder, who do not have their own vehicles, are having to rely on free transport being arranged by the Department of Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to take them home.
A provincial official said that it may be a few more days before all displaced people get home.
A displaced person, at an evacuation centre in Surin, said that she is very happy to be going home again, after more than two weeks at the temporary shelter, adding, however, that she is still slightly worried that border fighting could restart. Nevertheless, she said that she is ready to be evacuated again.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, from the border patrol police and the military, have been searching for and disposing of unexploded ordnance in rubber plantations and on farmland in Bak Dai sub-district of Kantharalak district.
It is reported that more than 180 shells and rockets landed on the district during the fighting.
A military source said that the EOD teams try to locate and remove unexploded ordnance near the border for destruction elsewhere, instead of detonating them in place, out of concern that the explosions could be misunderstood by Cambodian troops based near the border.
Meanwhile, in Ubon Ratchathani, it is reported that most of the live ordnance has been disposed of, except in some areas, declared as ‘Red’ zones, which are unsafe and remain off limits.
Meanwhile, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa led a group of senior interior officials on a visit today displaced people at evacuation centres in Surin province.
The delegation changed of the visit from Si Sa Ket to Surin, after they were informed that all the evacuees in Si Sa Ket have already started to return home.
Phumtham said that he expects most evacuees in Surin to be able return home on Sunday, except some whose houses were damaged during the fighting, adding that they will be provided with help.
The acting prime minister also said that he was unaware of an accusation, reportedly from Cambodian strongman Hun Sen, that some Thai soldiers had provoked Cambodian troops at the border by firing slingshots at them.
While admitting that such behaviour is inappropriate, he said he believes that Thai troops are disciplined and would not do that.
