The Thai–Lao Border War or know in Thai as Battle of Ban Romklao ( th, สมรภูมิบ้านร่มเกล้า or ยุทธการบ้านร่มเกล้า; December 1987 – February 1988) was a short confrontation between Thai and Lao forces. It involved a dispute over the map made by French surveyors in 1907 to mark the borders between

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

and

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

in the southern

Luang Prabang Range The Luang Prabang Range ( th, ทิวเขาหลวงพระบาง, ), named after Luang Prabang, is a mountain range straddling northwestern Laos and Northern Thailand. Most of the range is located in Sainyabuli Province (Laos), a ...

. Ownership of the village of Ban Romklao on the border of Phitsanulok Province and three small border villages on the edge of Uttaradit Province was left unclear. This is the same map underlying the

Cambodian–Thai border dispute The Cambodian–Thai border dispute (Khmer–Thai border dispute) began in June 2008 as part of a century-long dispute between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand involving the area surrounding the 11th-century Preah Vihear Tem ...

. The agreed criterion for determining ownership was the natural watershed, but the French map makers at times ignored this.As the agreed-upon river Hoeng separated into two tributaries, both parties claimed different ones as the border, which, alongside logging disputes, gave rise to this conflict.

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

Lao People's Democratic Republic Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

protested strongly, insisting the village was part of Botene District of Saiyabuli Province. Thailand replied that the village belonged to Chat Trakan District (''

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...

'') of Phitsanulok Province. Lao Army forces staged a night attack on the small Thai garrison, driving the Thai soldiers from the village and replacing the Thai flag with that of Laos. Serious fighting followed, continuing for weeks until a cease-fire was declared on 19 February 1988. On December 15, 1987, Thai F-5 planes bombed Lao positions in the region and Lao officials claimed Thailand shelled up to 10km 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 3km from the line of contact. The brief war claimed a total of about 1,000 deaths, the Thais suffering more heavily since for much of the war they were attacking entrenched Lao positions. Gen

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh Chavalit Yongchaiyudh ( th, ชวลิต ยงใจยุทธ, , ; born 15 May 1932), also known as "Big Jiew" (, , ), is a Thai politician and retired army officer. From 1986 to 1990 he was the List of Commanders of the Royal Thai Army, ...

was the commander of the Royal Thai Army at the time of the war and was criticized for engaging in it against the wishes of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

had assisted its socialist ally, sending troops from its 2nd Division to Baan Nakok air field in Saiyabuli to support the Lao military operations, amidst the border clashes with Thailand along the Thai–Cambodian border.

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. border demarcation was on-going.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thai-Lao Border War 1987 in Laos 1987 in Thailand 1988 in Laos 1988 in Thailand Conflicts in 1987 Conflicts in 1988 Indochina Wars Laos–Thailand border Territorial disputes of Laos Territorial disputes of Thailand Third Indochina War Wars involving Laos Wars involving Thailand Wars involving Vietnam Proxy wars