Trat: Fifty shipping containers have been strategically placed along the Trat-Cambodian border at Ban Thomoda, led by the Kan Jompalang organization. This installation comes amidst tensions involving Chinese and Cambodian nationals, which nearly escalated into physical altercations.
According to Thai News Agency, a video recorded by Cambodian soldiers near barbed wire shows Thai soldiers actively loading and stacking these shipping containers in the Thomoda area, located opposite Ban Tha Sen in Trat Province, Thailand. This area is notable for housing the Thomoda Casino, previously targeted by a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombing. It is alleged that Cambodian soldiers were using this vicinity as a base to launch attacks on Thai troops. In the video, Cambodian narrators can be heard in their native language, cursing the Thai soldiers for what they claim is an intrusion into Cambodian territory.
From early this morning, around 6:20 AM, Marine Rangers from Trat Province, in collaboration with teams from the Kanjompalang Foundation and private sector organizations, have been diligently transporting shipping containers from a temporary storage area at a gas station. These containers are being installed as a barricade along the road as part of a planned strategy to prevent disruptions and minimize confrontations at the border. Forklifts have been utilized to position the containers along the original route.
The Facebook page "Ganjompalang Chuaysu" (Powerful Gun Helps Fight) shared a video depicting Thai officials executing their operation. The footage highlighted instances where Chinese and Cambodian nationals interfered, frequently photographing and recording the officials. Furthermore, some Chinese nationals attempted to dismantle the barbed wire fence set up by Thai officials.
The plan includes stacking the shipping containers in two layers, covering approximately 150 meters from the three-way intersection to the front of a Chinese restaurant, serving as a barrier to lessen the risk of clashes in the border vicinity. Concurrently, Cambodian soldiers are actively patrolling the surrounding area.
Later in the afternoon, the Army Military Force Facebook page released a video featuring a man from the "Heng Hua-Fang" group, a prominent Chinese illicit group operating in Cambodia, inspecting the newly erected container site. Displaying his displeasure, he tore down a sign belonging to the Kan Chom Phalang Foundation from one of the containers and attempted to communicate with Thai soldiers, though without success.
Currently, Cambodian soldiers, equipped with full weaponry, continue to patrol the area periodically, while Cambodian villagers observe and discuss the Thai actions. At one notable moment, Gun Jompalang nearly engaged in a physical confrontation with a Chinese man who had removed the foundation's sign. The Chinese individual challenged him to a fight but ultimately walked away, continuing to make threatening gestures.