[2] In the past some of the Thahan Phran's initial recruits were convicted criminals whose sentences were remitted;[3] others joined to obtain parcels of land granted as a reward for successful campaigns.

[4] To some extent the Thahan Phran were intended to supplant the Volunteer Defense Corps, a civilian militia responsible for protecting the local population from guerrillas.

[6] Thahan Phran units conducted numerous operations against Khun Sa in the Golden Triangle[7] and also participated in security actions during the standoff at Prasat Preah Vihear in 2008 and 2009.

Numerous reforms have been made since the 1980s, particularly in screening recruits, and it is a more professional force than twenty years ago, but serious problems with discipline and human rights abuses remain.

The PCCS514 took on black operation to destroy Khun Sa's heroin factory in the Burmese side opposite Mae Chan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand.

[citation needed] In 1979 the influx of Cambodian refugees into Thailand became a significant political problem and a security issue, especially since thousands of them were Khmer Rouge combatants.

[17] One observer summarized the Task Force 80 experiment thus: "In a country with a dizzying array of different military units, the rangers were among the lowest paid, worst trained, and least disciplined of all Thai soldiers.

Indeed, they were regarded in some circles as little better than local thugs in uniform, who had been issued guns at a time when Communism was considered an immediate threat to Thailand's stability.

In February 2001, a 19-man Thahan Phran base designated Unit 9631, situated at Ban Pang Noon near Mae Sai on the Thai-Myanmar border, was captured by 500 Burmese troops.

[22] The attempt failed,[23] however in January 1982 a Thahan Phran squad from Pak Thong Chai, together with units from the BPP and the Royal Thai Army, was used to force Khun Sa to move his headquarters from Ban Hin Taek in northwest Thailand across the border into Myanmar.