Nong Chan refugee camp was one of the earliest organized refugee centres on the border. A Khmer Serei camp was established near the village of Ban Nong Chan back in the 1950s by Cambodians opposed to the rule of Prince Norodom Sihanouk. It was populated mainly by smugglers and bandits until the mid-1970s, when refugees fleeing from the Khmer Rouge formed a resistance movement there. On June 8th 1979, the Thai Army transported a few thousand refugees from Nong Chan to Preah Vihear, where they were forcibly repatriated into a minefield on the Cambodian side of the border.

In late August 1979, a former naval officer, Kong Siloah, established a resistance force, MOULINAKA, at Nong Chan. He insisted that his small force of guerrillas remain separate from the 13,000 civilians in the camp. He became respected for his integrity in dealing with aid agencies, and ICRC built a hospital there.

On November 8th 1979, a Thai soldier accused of raping a Khmer woman was shot to death. Thai military commander Colonel Prachak Sawaengchit ordered the shelling of Nong Chan, resulting in the killing of about 100 refugees. This happened one day before US First Lady Rosalynn Carter was scheduled to visit Sakaeo Refugee Camp. Later that month, Kong Siloah met with Robert Ashe, a veteran of humanitarian work in Thailand, and suggested that food be distributed at Nong Chan for Cambodians to take into the interior. This initiated the famous “land bridge”, a quite successful attempt to supply food, farm tools and seed to Khmers living inside Cambodia. Commencing December 12th, orderly distributions were organized giving 10-30 kgs of rice to people arriving from inside Cambodia. They came on foot, by bicycle or oxcart. By Christmas 1979, 12 truckloads of rice per day were being distributed to over 6000 people.

Van Saren, the warlord in the neighbouring camp of Mak Mun had made a fortune selling rice that had been distributed by aid agencies. He saw Nong Chan as a threat to his power when the price of rice fell dramatically after the land bridge started operating, and attacked Nong Chan on December 30th, purportedly with the collusion of the Royal Thai Army, burning down the hospital. However, food distribution resumed shortly after the attack, and by mid-January 10,000 people a day were receiving rice. Kong Siloah left the camp and moved into Cambodia, where he died of cerebral malaria on August 16th 1980. Nong Chan came under the control of Chea Chhut, a less scrupulous warlord than Kong Siloah.

In February 1980, CARE proposed distributing seed rice as well as food rice. Predictions of widespread famine in Cambodia brought UNICEF, FAO, ICRC, WFP and several NGOs to support the seed distribution program. After a trial distribution of 220 tons of rice seeds at Nong Chan on March 21st, World Relief and CARE each distributed 2000 tons of rice seed to over 68,000 farmers in early April. However, many complained that they lacked the tools for planting. Oxfam, World Relief and Christian Outreach responded in May by distributing hoe heads, plough tips, rope, fishnets and fishhooks, and oxcarts. During May, 340,000 people received food and seed at Nong Chan.

Initially there was opposition from ICRC and UNICEF to a seed distribution program, as they feared attracting farmers to stay in the camps, having made the arduous journey to the border. Others argued it would be an incentive to farmers to remain on their land. ICRC was especially worried about mounting a large-scale operation without the consent of the Heng Samrin government, so they tried to restrict the amount of seed by imposing a daily ceiling. UNICEF and WFP shared their caution at first but relaxed when it became clear the new government had no strong objection to the program. Although the Heng Samrin government refused ICRC and CARE permission to distribute seed rice inside Cambodia, they did not prevent Khmers from traveling to Nong Chan to receive rice, sometimes actively encouraging it.

The land bridge closed on June 20th, having given out 25,521 tons of seed, along with tools and fertilizer. The 1980 harvest in Kampuchea exceeded expectations. About 50,000 tons of food rice were handed out to over 700,000 Cambodians before the program ended on January 23rd 1981. Although much of the rice was resold or used to supply troops in both Thailand and Cambodia, the land bridge was considered a success because it encouraged and enabled Cambodians to remain on their land instead of moving into camps in Thailand. 

On June 23rd 1980, the Vietnamese attacked Mak Mun and Nong Chan, forcing hundreds of refugees back into Kampuchea and executing hundreds more who resisted. About 400 refugees were killed and 458 were treated at Khao I Dang hospital. Nong Chan was later recaptured by Thai forces after Vietnamese withdrawal on June 24th. Many refugees moved to Nong Samet. Between 1980 and 1984 the camp was a frequent target of Vietnamese attacks. It was finally assaulted by over 2000 Vietnamese troops on November 18th 1984, and definitively abandoned on November 30th. The camp’s population of 30,000 refugees was evacuated to Site 3 (Ang Sila) about 4kms to the west. A new camp was established at Site 6 (Prey Chan). Many went to Khao I Dang, and others were resettled at Site 2 refugee camp in mid-1985.

 

(Information from Wikipedia and Thai/Cambodia Border Refugee Camps Information & Documentation Website)