TDA tests its SOP for mine clearance in Ukraine at a simulated site in Chachoengsao
From October 2025 to January 2026, the Thai Civilian Deminer Association (TDA) tested its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for mine clearance in Ukraine at a simulated work site in Ban Hua Khlong 19, Yothaka Subdistrict, Bang Nam Priao District, Chachoengsao Province. The work was part of the project “Preparedness and Capacity Building for Appropriate Clearance Operation in Ukraine” (PCO-Ukraine), funded by the Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
Why Chachoengsao
The test site is flat rice-farming land, similar to farmland in Ukraine and very different from the dense forest along Thailand’s borders where TDA teams usually work. Training on ground like Ukraine’s helped the team adapt procedures, team layout and equipment use for the real task.
What the project did
- Phase 1: developed an appropriate SOP with a Ukrainian partner in Bangkok.
- Phase 2: tested the SOP at the simulated site in Chachoengsao (October 2025 – January 2026) to refine procedures and build team capacity, so TDA is ready to work in Ukraine when the situation allows.
During the test, the team demonstrated search techniques and displayed defused sample landmines and detection equipment to explain the work to participants.
