Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang: Thai enforcer in new border struggle with Cambodia

Lt General Boonsin Padklang, commander of the Second Army Region, has earned widespread praise for firmly defending Thailand’s territorial integrity in the latest border dispute with Cambodia.

As the Thai government sought a peaceful resolution in the face of aggressive rhetoric from its Cambodian counterpart, the chief of the eastern force took a hard line. Troops under his command would never retreat from border areas that belonged to Thailand, he stated.

“Our ancestors defended this land so we could live here. We need to keep it. We, as their descendants, are ready to do our duty,” the commander said.

As tensions rose, Boonsin visited a border village, where he thanked “all Thai citizens who love the country” and reassured them that the military would protect Thailand’s sovereignty to "ensure that no territory is lost”.

His firm stance carried weight, backed by decades of operational command and frontline leadership, including a two-year deployment in the insurgency-hit southern border region.

He also ordered shortened operating hours at several checkpoints along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Boonsin has been handed the responsibility of securing the border by Army chief General Pana Klaewblaudtuk, following the National Security Council’s June 6 resolution to safeguard sovereignty and public safety.

Morale-boosting visits

Tensions flared in mid-February when dozens of Cambodian soldiers and civilians sang their national anthem during a visit to the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple in Thailand’s border province of Surin.

Since then, Boonsin has made frequent morale-boosting visits to eastern border troops under his command.

The border conflict erupted just before dawn on May 28, when Thai troops discovered a 650-metre-long trench, apparently newly dug by Cambodian soldiers, in a disputed border area of Ubon Ratchathani province.

The ensuing exchange of gunfire reportedly led to the death of one Cambodian soldier.

Phnom Penh accused Thai troops of opening fire first – a claim that was rejected by the Thai Army.

The new round of conflict shattered more than a decade of peace at the border, mostly under the premiership of former Army chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Boonsin, 60, earned headlines and widespread public support for his stern defence of territorial integrity, as the Thai government appeared to dither over its next move.

Critics slammed the hesitation as a symptom of the close ties between the ruling families of both countries – Thailand’s Shinawatras and Cambodia’s Hun family.

The patriarchs of both clans – Thaksin Shinawatra and Hun Sen – have seen their children rise to become the current prime ministers.

After Thaksin was ousted as premier by the military in 2006, then-PM Hun Sen appointed him as his special adviser.

In February last year, Hun Sen also became the first foreign dignitary to visit Thaksin after he was released on parole following six months in detention at a hospital.

Ex-classmate of Army chief

Boonsin was born in the northeastern province of Udon Thani. He graduated from the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School before going on to study at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.

He later attended the Royal Thai Army’s Command and General Staff College. Among his classmates was the current Army chief.

Boonsin began his military career in the Second Army Region, which covers the eastern and northeastern parts of the country.

The units he was assigned to are mainly responsible for protecting areas bordering Cambodia and Laos.

He served as a battalion commander at the 3rd Infantry Regiment in Sakon Nakhon province before going on to lead the 22nd

Ranger Regiment’s special task force.

As a Ranger, Boonsin was deployed to the southern border province of Pattani between 2012 to 2014, when security forces were frequently targeted by insurgent ambushes and roadside bombings.

In one incident, when Boonsin’s convoy came under attack, he reportedly left the safety of his vehicle to return fire and shield his men – an act of bravery that earned the respect of troops under his command.

He later became chief of staff and then commander of the 3rd Infantry Division at the Suranaree Camp in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Boonsin was then appointed as deputy commander of the 2nd Army Region before being promoted to commander in September last year. He is set to retire at the end of September.