TRAT – The Royal Thai Marine Corps has abruptly removed a key commander from his post following a tense border incident with Cambodian troops.
Rear Admiral Apichat Sapsprasert, commander of the Marine Corps, ordered 17 officers stationed along the border to be relieved of duty, including Navy Captain Thammanoon Wanna, commander of the Trat Marine Task Force. Captain Thammanoon has been reassigned to the Navy’s humanitarian mine clearance unit.
The move has surprised many, as Captain Thammanoon is considered a key operational commander with a track record spanning southern insurgency operations and previous border conflicts with Cambodia, including leading forces to reclaim Thai territory near Ban 3 Houses and the Thamoda casino area in Trat province.
When contacted, Captain Thammanoon confirmed the transfer, saying the order arrived overnight and he was unaware beforehand. “I am currently packing my belongings and will hand over my duties tomorrow,” he said.
The transfer comes after an incident on 26 March, when Captain Thammanoon visited a container border post at Ban Thamoda. During the visit, Major Tony, a close aide of Captain Thammanoon, confronted Cambodian Lieutenant General Kum Kosal, who had challenged Thai personnel about the border containers. The containers had recently been marked with Thai national and naval flags, and the confrontation reportedly sparked the viral phrase among troops: “Watch my face.”
No official statement has been issued regarding the exact reason for Captain Thammanoon’s reassignment, but the border encounter is widely seen as a possible factor.
