Buriram Resident Sengiam Tuprawon Survives Rocket in Bedroom Amid Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions

In the tranquil district of Ban Kruat in Buriram province, tranquility was shattered as an unexpected visitor from the sky made an uninvited landing. On July 24, a BM-21 rocket, fired across the border by Cambodian forces, unceremoniously came to rest in homeowner Sengiam Tuprawon’s bedroom. This unassuming 64-year-old resident found not a dream, but a piece of military ordnance deeply embedded beneath his bed, creating a startling 40-centimeter hole and burying itself five meters into the earth.

Police Major General Narongsak Promtha, the astute Commander of the Buriram Provincial Police, promptly arrived at the scene with an elite team of explosive ordnance specialists, the so-called EOD experts. Their challenge was formidable: how to safely neutralize the rocket lying quietly in its new subterranean abode. Initial attempts to defuse the menacing intruder were as fruitless as trying to find a needle in a haystack—or, perhaps, a rocket in a bedroom floor. The team decided the safest route was to conduct a controlled detonation right where it lay, amidst piles of household memories and knick-knacks.

With meticulous care, officers established a commanding 200-meter safety perimeter around Sengiam’s home, urging villagers to stand back and resist the temptation for any daring selfies at the scene. The detonation cords were laid with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Then, with baited breath—and no small amount of nervous anticipation—came the boom. The explosion was dramatic, transforming the room’s decor from distressed chic to post-apocalyptic in an instant. An 80-centimeter crater was forced into the room’s floor, and half of the modest roof went soaring to new heights. Luckily, the formidable concrete walls held firm, a defiant testament to Sengiam’s choice of robust construction materials.

After the dust had settled and the rogue rocket firmly put in its place, Pol. Maj. Gen. Narongsak took to the impromptu podium. He recounted how the errant missile had stealthily arrived during skirmishes at the border but had gone unnoticed while Sengiam and his family had prudently evacuated. Upon their return on July 27, the rocket had already become part of the furniture—albeit an uninvited one. The Major General reassured everyone that the EOD team had strictly adhered to international bomb disposal procedures—a comforting note for those hoping they weren’t just winging it.

Sengiam, surprisingly philosophical about the loss of half his roof and most of his floor, acknowledged the potential catastrophe averted was well worth the current disarray. Facing the rubble of what was once a reasonably intact bedroom, he nodded in agreement with the decision to detonate.

Reflecting on further safety measures, the police chief urged villagers to report any stray ordnance or suspicious metal cylinders digging into flower beds by calling the ever-ready 191 emergency number. In the wake of ongoing regional tensions, tighter security checkpoints now weave across northeastern Thailand with all the loyalty of a diligent sentry, on the lookout for any shady characters with espionage glints in their eyes.

As KhaoSod continues to report, daily life in Buriram, much like Sengiam’s house, is adjusting to the disconcerting rumbles of military unrest nearby. Yet the spirit of the village remains unbroken, carrying with it a stoic humor: it isn’t every day you have to repair not just a roof but a five-meter hole in the ground beneath what’s left of your bed. As for Sengiam, he’s now contemplating a safer hobby—perhaps something like knitting or bird watching… at a safe distance from the Thai-Cambodian border, of course.