A volunteer ranger collapsed his knees upon returning from front-line duty to find his home burglarized and ancient amulets valued at over 1.5 million baht stolen and sold. He lamented that despite filing a police report four months ago and knowing the offenders, the case has made no progress. Police maintain they are not neglecting the case.
On 22 January 2025, reporters reported that Sergeant Major Dang Terdprakorn, a volunteer ranger with the 26th Ranger Task Force, whose hometown is Ban Khok Ngiu, Ban Kruat Subdistrict, Ban Kruat District, Buriram Province, came forward to complain through the media. After serving on the front lines at the Prasat Ta Khwai battlefield in Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province, during the first round of fighting with Cambodia in July 2025, his wife had evacuated to stay with relatives in another province, leaving no one to guard the house. When the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia settled on 14 September 2025, he took leave to check his home but was devastated to find the doors and windows had been broken and damaged.
Upon inspecting inside the house, he found valuable possessions and various household items missing, including ancient amulets he had collected since joining the military, estimated to be worth about 1.5 million baht, as well as a gas stove and almost all the food in the house. Adding to the distress, the perpetrators had defecated inside the house as a provocation. He then reported the incident to the Ban Kruat police station to seek help in tracking down the culprits and recovering the stolen property.
Besides filing a police report, fearing the stolen valuable amulets might never be recovered, he tried to track them down himself by visiting shops that rent or sell amulets. He found some of his amulets were indeed being sold; the shop returned some items when they learned they belonged to him, but most have yet to be returned.
He then gathered information on who sold the stolen amulets and learned that five youths—four boys and one girl aged 13 to 17—were involved in breaking into the house and stealing. He coordinated with police to bring them in for questioning. All confessed to the crime. The gas stove had been sold at a shop, with some perpetrators' guardians accompanying the sale. However, more than four months after reporting the crime, the case has seen no progress. He is uncertain whether charges will be filed since the offenders are minors, who will be responsible for the stolen items, and whether the guardians who helped sell the stolen goods will be held accountable.
Sergeant Dang expressed his frustration, saying he had served on the front lines defending the country, fighting the Khmer three times, yet now faced such a personal violation.
Later, the news team interviewed the investigating officer at Ban Kruat police station responsible for the case. The officer stated that the police have not been negligent, but after the victim filed the complaint, he returned to duty and could not be contacted, so coordination was delayed. Since the suspects are minors, interviews must be conducted with multidisciplinary oversight. The officer confirmed the police are following procedures and added that if there is evidence guardians of the youths were complicit, legal action will be taken against them as well.
