The demolition of Village Chief Lee Tol Sari's house at Ban Nong Jan, Sa Kaeo Province, occurred because it is a strategically and politically overlapping area between Thailand and Cambodia. The reason Thailand decided to demolish it, and Village Chief Lee's role as a key factor in the border dispute, are detailed.
The main reasons the Thai authorities, including the Burapha Task Force and Sa Kaeo provincial administration, proceeded with demolishing structures in the area include three key factors:
Sovereignty protection: Ban Nong Jan, Non Mak Mun Subdistrict, Khok Sung District, Sa Kaeo Province, is an area claimed by Thailand. Allowing permanent houses built by Cambodians would legally disadvantage Thailand in future territorial claims under international law.
Violation of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): The Thailand-Cambodia agreement clearly prohibits any environmental changes in areas where the boundary line remains unresolved. Village Chief Lee's house construction directly violated this agreement.
Border security: This area frequently experiences conflicts between local groups on both sides. The demolition was a preventive measure to stop escalation into military-level clashes.
Village Chief Lee Tol Sari is not an ordinary local but a Cambodian official closely connected to influential figures and military personnel on the Cambodian side. His actions impacting Thailand include:
Leading the advance: Using his position as village chief, he led Cambodian villagers to occupy disputed farmland to create "facts on the ground" claiming long-term Cambodian residency.
Constructing permanent structures: Building large concrete houses and animal pens at sensitive points challenged Thai ranger patrol authority.
Leveraging nationalism: Whenever Thai officials negotiated, Village Chief Lee would assert claims and rally Cambodian villagers to gather, pressuring Thai forces to withdraw to avoid clashes.
Early 2024: Permanent concrete house construction by Village Chief Lee at Ban Nong Jan was detected. Thailand protested repeatedly via the local Joint Border Committee (TBC) but with no success.
Mid-2024: Tensions rose as heavy machinery was brought in to modify land around the house. Thai troops reinforced their position and negotiated at the regional commander level.
Late 2024: Thai and Cambodian governments held policy-level discussions requesting demolition of structures violating the 2000 MOU, emphasizing the preservation of diplomatic relations.
2025: Village Chief Lee began agreeing to partially remove belongings after pressure from Thai authorities and central Cambodian orders aiming to avoid disrupting border economic development plans.