A 74-year-old grandmother from Buriram, who farms 5 rai of rice, stored unhulled rice to last all year. She counted a total of nine bags, but thieves sneaked in and stole eight bags, leaving her distressed and uncertain where to find rice to eat.
On 23 Aug 2026 GMT+7, reporters received a report from residents of Ban Nong Khun Phatthana, Village No. 19, Lumpuk Subdistrict, Mueang District, Buriram Province, about thieves sneaking in to steal unhulled rice from a local resident. The incident caused significant distress to the owner, prompting reporters to investigate the area.
Upon arrival, reporters met Mrs. Kamnuan Chantramani, 74, who took them to another house used for storing items, including unhulled rice kept for year-round consumption.
Mrs. Kamnuan said she farms about 5 rai. After harvest, she stores the unhulled rice at this house to consume throughout the year. She mills the rice as needed. Before the incident, there were nine fertilizer bags filled with unhulled rice—about eight full bags weighing approximately 45 kilograms each and one partially filled bag.
She normally visits this house daily to feed her chickens but had not noticed anything unusual until today, when she found the back door open unusually. Upon checking inside the storage room, she discovered eight bags of unhulled rice were missing, leaving only one bag. Shocked, she immediately informed the village headman.
Mrs. Kamnuan expressed deep sadness, saying she had worked hard farming and storing rice for year-round use. With only nine bags originally, eight were stolen. If sold, each bag is worth over 800 baht, totaling more than 6,400 baht. Importantly, the rice was saved for family consumption, not for sale. She doesn’t know where to get rice now and appealed to the thief to return the rice if possible and to stop such actions, as she is greatly troubled.
Mr. Wanchai Chanchat, the village headman, said that upon learning of the incident, he used the community loudspeaker to warn villagers to be vigilant and watchful. Recently, there have been several thefts, including unhulled rice and solar panels installed in the fields.