Border schools in Buri Ram and Surin reopen after month-long closure

Schools along the border in Buri Ram and Surin provinces reopened today for the first time since being closed nearly a month ago due to fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border.

In Buri Ram’s Lahan Sai district, some of the first classes focused on emergency preparedness, with young students practising drills such as running to bomb shelters in case of a new round of border clashes.

Administrators at Ban Khok Fueang School, which has 56 students from Kindergarten 1 through Grade 6, along with 10 teachers and staff, said they hope to build a second shelter to improve protection for personnel and students.

Currently, the school has only one shelter, which can accommodate a maximum of 25 people.

On the first day of the new semester, many students were seen observing a moment of silence to honour fallen soldiers.

In Surin province, at Ban Dan School in Dan sub-district of Kap Choeng district, students raised the national flag, prayed, and also stood in silence in tribute to the fallen soldiers.

They were told that many Thai soldiers had sacrificed their lives to protect the country so that students and their families could live and study in safety.