Thai–Laotian Border War
Thai–Lao Border War Battle of Ban Romklao | |
---|---|
Part of the Botene District, Saiyabuli Province, Lao PDR | |
Result | Thai forces claimed to have secured 70% of ground around Hill 1428, while Lao forces still held high ground. |
Territorial changes | Return to status quo ante bellum. |
Vietnam
Trường Chinh
300-400 soldiers killed
200-300 wounded[1]
Vietnam:
none
147 soldiers killed
166 wounded[1]
2 aircraft (February)[2]
The Thai–Lao Border War, or known in Thai as Battle of Ban Romklao (
Battle
A series of minor shooting incidents had occurred between Thai and Lao forces in 1984. In December 1987, however, Thai armed forces occupied the disputed village of Ban Romklao, raising the Thai flag over it. The government of the
On 15 December 1987, Thai F-5 planes bombed Lao positions in the region and Lao officials claimed Thailand shelled up to 10 km into Sayaboury province. Frequent aerial attacks continued against the dug-in Lao alongside artillery exchanges, and by mid-January 1988 the Thai claimed to have secured 70% of ground around Hill 1428. The fighting continued in February as the Lao still retained strategic high ground, with Thai airstrikes losing 2 aircraft. Talks eventually occurred on the 16-17th, and a ceasefire on the 19th saw both sides retreat 3 km from the line of contact.[2]
Summary of the battle
Throughout the conflict on the Rom Klao battlefield 147 Thai soldiers died and 166 were injured, while the Third Army Region reported a different number of casualties: 167 seriously injured, 550 slightly injured, and 55 disabled. Thailand spent about 3,000 million baht on the Romklao Battlefield.
While the number of losses in Laos is unclear. But it is estimated that about 300-400 Laotian soldiers were killed, about 200-300 injured, and it is believed that there were also foreign soldiers from the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and Cuba included. The Thai side believed that the Lao side had foreign soldiers to help fight and support. But the Lao side denies this
Aftermath
The Thai-Lao Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) was established in 1996 to clarify the 1,810-kilometre boundary and settle ownership of the disputed villages. As of 2007[update] border demarcation was ongoing.[3]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0786474707
- ^ a b c "Major World Events - February 1988" (PDF). Stanford University. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Supalak Ganjanakhundee (March 8, 2007). "Lao border talks progressing". The Nation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
Officials from both sides will start to conduct aerial photography for mapping this month before beginning the demarcation process and plan to complete the task by 2010.