 According to General Apirat Kongsompong, on 5 November 1976, King Rama X, then an army captain and crown prince, engaged with communist insurgents in Ban Mak Kheng of Dan Sai District.The general noted that, "His Majesty was in the operation base, ate and slept like other soldiers.His Majesty visited local residents, gave moral support and fought shoulder by shoulder with brave soldiers."