Villagers Alarmed After Old Explosive Found in Northeastern Rice Field; Police and EOD Rush to Inspect and Coordinate with Locals

A community in a district of Yasothon province in the Northeast was thrown into alarm after a farmer discovered an object resembling an old explosive buried in a rice plot while plowing this morning. Local police were notified and coordinated with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to conduct an inspection, amid residents’ fears that the object could be leftover ordnance from past conflicts or from periods when military training took place in the area.

On inspection, officers found a metal, elongated spherical object not very large, buried about 30–40 centimeters deep. The EOD team cordoned off a safety radius and temporarily evacuated nearby residents as a precaution before carrying out a detailed examination. Using specialized equipment to check the object’s explosive condition and external structure, officers said the item looked very old and might be a military device from the past, but they could not draw definitive conclusions until a full analysis was completed.

The history of parts of the Northeast includes troop movements and tactical training in earlier decades, as well as periods of unrest, which means some areas may still contain hazardous remnants. Several residents of the subdistrict said they had previously found metal fragments or shell fragments scattered while working the fields, but this was the first time they had found an object clear enough to cause real alarm. They are calling on authorities to quickly clear and survey the area for other dangerous items.

Local officials said that after preliminary inspection, the EOD team would take the object to a controlled facility for detailed analysis and safe disposal according to international standards. If confirmed to be an explosive, coordinates will be recorded and nearby areas surveyed for other leftover ordnance. Authorities also plan to set up alert plans for residents and provide safety education to farmers working in the fields on how to respond if they find suspicious items.

The scare has directly affected the community’s sense of safety. Some families said they will be more cautious when working in the fields, especially when plowing or digging holes for planting. The incident may also affect rural tourism—just beginning to recover in many parts of the Northeast—as visitors could be deterred by news like this. The subdistrict administrative chief said local government will act to reassure the community by creating emergency reporting channels and organizing workshops on first aid and coordination with relevant agencies.

EOD experts emphasized that finding such objects in agricultural areas must be treated seriously and that no one should touch or move them, as they could detonate at any time. They advised contacting authorities immediately and keeping a safe distance. Provincial agencies will deploy teams for proactive surveys and coordinate with military units if necessary, to ensure villagers in the Northeast feel safe and can continue their agricultural livelihoods with confidence.