BAN KRUAT — Thai authorities and local residents are continuing to search for unexploded ordnance believed to have landed on the Thai side of the border in Ban Kruat district, officials said, with at least 130 items found so far.
Local administrative officials, village leaders and residents resumed searches on Jan. 4, 2026, after villagers reported finding suspected rockets and mortar rounds in farmland. The effort has been slow because explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, teams must first inspect and destroy any unexploded devices, officials said.
Most of the items found in Ban Kruat district, in Buriram province, have been mortar rounds rather than BM-21 multiple-launch rockets, authorities said.
The latest discovery was made by Sanang Nuengprakhon, 53, a village security volunteer, who found another mortar round while tapping rubber trees on his land. With the latest find, officials said a total of 130 pieces of ordnance — both unexploded and already detonated — have been identified in the district.
Sanang said administrative officials and EOD teams have been working with villagers to survey the area daily, pausing only during the New Year holiday. He said officials believe more ordnance remains buried in the ground or scattered across farmland. Community forest areas have been harder to search, so teams have prioritised agricultural land, he said.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Second Army Region said Cambodian military drones have been spotted conducting intermittent surveillance flights near the Sai Taku border pass in Chanthaphet subdistrict, Ban Kruat district. Authorities said security personnel in the area have been placed on heightened alert.
