THE SECURITY IMPACT OF THE THAI-CAMBODIAN BORDER DISPUTE ON THE PEOPLE: BAN NONG CHAN AREA, SA KAEO PROVINCE

Abstract

This academic article examines the security impacts of the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, focusing on the case of Ban Nong Chan in Sa Kaeo Province. This border area is complex in terms of history, politics, and social security. The analysis utilizes the Theory of Change framework to explain the relationship between the causes of conflict, the transition process, and the security outcomes for the people in the border area, from the Khmer Rouge refugee camp era and the Indochinese War to the contemporary border dispute. The analysis reveals that the security of the people in Ban Nong Chan has been impacted at multiple levels, spanning physical, economic, psychological, and social dimensions. This is particularly evident in the loss of trust between the state and the people, and the transformation of the border's role from a “military buffer zone” to a “human risk zone,” requiring sustainable human security development approaches.

  The analysis indicates that security in the area has been impacted in multiple dimensions, including safety of life and property, access to resources and farmland, changes in the community economic structure, and relations between the Thai and Cambodian people. The application of the ToC framework reveals the systemic processes that influence policy, government, and community factors leading to local change. Sustainable security requires an understanding of the past, coupled with local people's participation, to transform past disputes into collaborative efforts for future development.