Thailand Claims Another Soldier Injured by Landmine Along Cambodian Border
TwoSoviet-made PMN-2 antipersonnel landmines, similar to the mines that the Royal Thai Army claims to have unearthed along its border with Cambodia.
Another Thai soldier was injured by a landmine near the Cambodian border yesterday, Thailand's army said, the second such incident to have taken place since the two nations agreed to a ceasefire.
In a statement, Royal Thai Army (RTA) spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said that the explosion happened at around 9:10 a.m. on a regular patrol route around 1 kilometer from Ta Moan Thom temple in Surin province. The soldier who stepped on the mine suffered severe wounds to his ankle and is currently being treated at the hospital. He accused Cambodia once again of laying fresh landmines and of committing 'a direct attack on Thai forces in Thai territory,' the Bangkok Post reported.
'This incident is evident proof that Cambodia violates the ceasefire agreement and international humanitarian laws, especially the Ottawa Treaty which bans the use and installation of all kinds of anti-personnel landmines,' Winthai said.
The claim comes after the RTA claimed that three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine on August 9, while on a similar patrol on the border between Thailand's Sisaket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province. One soldier lost a foot and the other two were injured in the explosion, it said. Thailand says that it has uncovered Russian-made PMN-2 anti-personnel mines in the vicinity of several of the recent explosions, which are not used by the RTA and show signs of being freshly laid.
These incidents follow a meeting of the bilateral General Border Committee on August 7, when the two sides agreed to a 13-point plan to maintain the ceasefire that brought the fighting to an end on July 28. Among these were mutual pledges to freeze border troop movements and patrols, not to reinforce their positions along the border, and 'not to undertake provocative actions that may escalate tensions.'
The explosions now threaten to rekindle last month's five-day conflict, which killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 on both sides of the border. Similar landmine explosions on July 16 and July 23 prompted Bangkok to recall its ambassador from Phnom Penh, and precipitated the initial outbreak of hostilities between the two nations on July 24.
In response to Cambodia's alleged laying of fresh mines, Winthai said that the Thai army might be forced again to take more forceful steps to defend its soldiers. 'If pressure continues to mount, we may be compelled to exercise our right to self-defense under international law, in order to address the losses suffered by Thai military personnel as a result of Cambodia's violations of the ceasefire agreement and Thailand's sovereignty,' he said.
As with the past accusations, Cambodia's government yesterday dismissed Thailand's accusation that it had laid new mines. 'Cambodia maintains its firm stance that it has not and will not use or plant any new landmine,' Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said in a regular press briefing. She also repeated the fact that many border areas are still seeded with explosives from Cambodia's decades of civil war, claiming that this was the source of the explosion.
Meanwhile, Cambodia continues to accuse Thailand of its own violations of the ceasefire. In a letter dated August 11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally notified the United Nations Security Council of a string of alleged Thai violations. It claims that since the end of hostilities on July 28, Thai military units 'have repeatedly crossed into Cambodian territory, illegally laid barbed wire, and built roads at multiple points along the border,' in the Khmer Times' paraphrase.
Regarding the landmine issue, there are two separate questions in dispute: First, whether Cambodia has laid fresh landmines along the border; and second, whether it has done so since the ceasefire. On at least the first count, Thailand should be able to make a convincing case to the outside world.
The RTA says that it recovered three PMN-2 mines from the area adjacent to yesterday's explosion, which it said were in 'new condition' and not remnants from past conflicts. PMN-2 mines, which were manufactured in the Soviet Union from the 1970s until the 1990s, were among the most 'commonly found' mines laid during the country's civil war, Phnom Penh said in its submission to the United Nations in 2000, after it joined the Ottawa Convention.
Since then, Cambodia claims that it has destroyed all of its stockpiles of anti-personnel mines in line with the treaty. However, Article 3 of the Ottawa Convention permits nations to retain a small number of mines 'for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques.'As of 2020, Cambodia 'reported having 3,730 anti-personnel mines and other types retained for these permitted purposes,' according to the Convention's website. Cambodia's own most recent Article 7 submission clarifies that this includes the PMN-2 model.
Thailand claims that it destroyed all of its stockpiles under the Ottawa Convention in 2003. It also reported that it destroyed the small number of antipersonnel mines that it held for research and training purposes in 2019.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Diplomat
36 minutes ago
- The Diplomat
The Hidden Impact of the Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict
Amidst the elite family intrigue and international implications of the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict, the real story risks being lost. That story concerns neither Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Hun Sen, nor colonial border demarcation, nor international court rulings; instead, it is about the innocent lives lost and the indigent rural communities on both sides of the border who have been driven further into debt and desperation. On a recent trip to Surin and Sisaket provinces in Thailand, I witnessed and documented the impact of the conflict. At a convenience store in Sisaket that had been hit by a Cambodian rocket, for example, survivors told me it took two nights before they could recover all the bodies, fearing the presence of unexploded ordnance. Even though I had seen photographs and videos of war beforehand, nothing could truly prepare me for the heartbreak of standing in that space. A place that should have been bustling with shoppers was now completely silent. Outside the convenience store, shattered glass lay scattered in every direction. Burned fragments of debris were strewn across the ground. A gaping hole in the ceiling allowed daylight to pour into the store, illuminating its charred remains. The smell of smoke still lingered, even though fire hoses and rain had washed much of the dust and ash away. Unfamiliar, haunting details stood out: a packet of peanuts, its plastic wrapper melted onto a twisted metal hook; fridge doors blown wide open, every glass pane shattered. The scene spoke volumes about the devastating power of the weapon used. Many of the locals in Surin and Sisaket that I spoke with still remember the border-related violence that broke out in 2011. They said this year's conflict is the most serious escalation since then. Not just because of the weapons used, but because of what was lost. In addition to hitting military outposts, rockets also struck homes, farms, shops, and even a hospital. Many civilians have lost their lives from or because of the conflict, including a 65-year-old man, who took his own life, reportedly after being prevented from returning to his home along the border. Just a day after a barrage of Cambodian rocket and artillery fire landed in four Thai border provinces, I spoke with a Thai rubber plantation farmer in a shelter for displaced people in Surin. With tears falling down her face, she told me: I have 30 chickens, so my husband decided not to come to the shelter. …I still call him to check if he's eaten and ask how the situation is. … Because we've had to flee like this, villagers can't tap rubber and sell it. It's affected our income. We're grateful for the support we receive here [at the shelter], but can we really sleep peacefully at night? I worry about home. This kind of testimony does not fit neatly into military briefings or diplomatic cables, but it is how war manifests for those in the firing line. Although I wasn't able to talk with people on the Cambodian side, I can only imagine their hardships mirror what Thai survivors are going through. On Thailand's western border with Myanmar, where I am currently living, people are suffering the long-term impacts of a different war. Refugees fleeing decades of internal armed conflict in Myanmar are still stuck in limbo. They cannot return home to Myanmar, and now, with the wholesale withdrawal of American aid, they cannot even rely on the minimal assistance they once had. As of July 31, the Border Consortium, one of the few remaining lifelines for displaced people in the region, discontinued its support to all but the most vulnerable refugees in nine border refugee camps due to funding shortfalls. Many organizations have been working tirelessly to address the shortfalls, but without the political will, it remains nearly impossible to offer these communities a real way out. Communities living on Thailand's borders must not be allowed to fall through the social safety net that, in many ways, marks this nation out as a leader in the region. On the Cambodia border, a ceasefire is not enough. The two nations must not only end hostilities and resolve the territorial dispute, but also begin a real recovery process that centers the voices of those affected. This should include government-backed conflict insurance, compensation, and access to mental health support. We are not talking about the symbolic or procedural compensation under the law, but reparations and support that allow them to rebuild their lives and return to normalcy with dignity. Along the Myanmar border, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by decades of war and repression continue to live without security or stability, made worse by the recent funding cuts. Thailand must provide them with legal status and sustainable livelihood, by promoting local integration that allows them to stand strong and self-reliant. True peace and freedom within a federal, democratic Myanmar must remain the ultimate goal. We must invest not only in border security, but in rebuilding trust, restoring livelihoods, and returning dignity to people who have lived under the shadow of war for far too long – on both borders. It is the lasting traces of war, the ones that remain long after the gunfire stops, that we too often leave unspoken.
Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Japan Times
China and India discuss resuming border trade after five-year pause
India and China are discussing resuming border trade of locally made goods after more than five years, marking the latest step in a slow but steady effort by the Asian neighbors to ease long-standing tensions, according to officials in New Delhi familiar with the matter. Both sides have proposed restarting trade through designated points on the shared border, and the matter is currently under bilateral discussion, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are still private. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that Beijing is "willing to step up communication and coordination with India' on the matter. "Border trade between China and India has long played an important role in improving lives of the two countries' border residents,' it said in a response to a query. India's Ministry of External Affairs didn't respond to an email seeking further information. For over three decades, India and China had traded locally produced goods — such as spices, carpets, wooden furniture, cattle fodder, pottery, medicinal plants, electric items and wool — through three designated points along their 3,488-kilometer disputed Himalayan border. The trade value is relatively small, estimated at just $3.16 million in 2017-18, according to the most recent government data available. The trading points were shut during the COVID-19 pandemic, which coincided with a sharp decline in relations between the two nations after border clashes in the Himalayas killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops. The planned resumption marks another sign that relations between the two neighbors are gradually improving after both sides took steps last year to end border tensions. China and India are set to resume direct flight connections as soon as next month, while Beijing has eased curbs on some fertilizer shipments to India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to head to China for the first time in seven years in August to attend a summit of the Beijing-led regional security grouping — the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — and hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines. The normalizing of ties between the two countries comes against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between New Delhi and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has imposed a 50% tariff rate on Indian exports to the U.S. — significantly higher than the duties imposed on regional peers.
The Diplomat
a day ago
- The Diplomat
Thailand Claims Another Soldier Injured by Landmine Along Cambodian Border
Accusing Cambodia of laying fresh mines, the Thai military said that 'we may be compelled to exercise our right to self-defense under international law.' TwoSoviet-made PMN-2 antipersonnel landmines, similar to the mines that the Royal Thai Army claims to have unearthed along its border with Cambodia. Another Thai soldier was injured by a landmine near the Cambodian border yesterday, Thailand's army said, the second such incident to have taken place since the two nations agreed to a ceasefire. In a statement, Royal Thai Army (RTA) spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said that the explosion happened at around 9:10 a.m. on a regular patrol route around 1 kilometer from Ta Moan Thom temple in Surin province. The soldier who stepped on the mine suffered severe wounds to his ankle and is currently being treated at the hospital. He accused Cambodia once again of laying fresh landmines and of committing 'a direct attack on Thai forces in Thai territory,' the Bangkok Post reported. 'This incident is evident proof that Cambodia violates the ceasefire agreement and international humanitarian laws, especially the Ottawa Treaty which bans the use and installation of all kinds of anti-personnel landmines,' Winthai said. The claim comes after the RTA claimed that three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine on August 9, while on a similar patrol on the border between Thailand's Sisaket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province. One soldier lost a foot and the other two were injured in the explosion, it said. Thailand says that it has uncovered Russian-made PMN-2 anti-personnel mines in the vicinity of several of the recent explosions, which are not used by the RTA and show signs of being freshly laid. These incidents follow a meeting of the bilateral General Border Committee on August 7, when the two sides agreed to a 13-point plan to maintain the ceasefire that brought the fighting to an end on July 28. Among these were mutual pledges to freeze border troop movements and patrols, not to reinforce their positions along the border, and 'not to undertake provocative actions that may escalate tensions.' The explosions now threaten to rekindle last month's five-day conflict, which killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 on both sides of the border. Similar landmine explosions on July 16 and July 23 prompted Bangkok to recall its ambassador from Phnom Penh, and precipitated the initial outbreak of hostilities between the two nations on July 24. In response to Cambodia's alleged laying of fresh mines, Winthai said that the Thai army might be forced again to take more forceful steps to defend its soldiers. 'If pressure continues to mount, we may be compelled to exercise our right to self-defense under international law, in order to address the losses suffered by Thai military personnel as a result of Cambodia's violations of the ceasefire agreement and Thailand's sovereignty,' he said. As with the past accusations, Cambodia's government yesterday dismissed Thailand's accusation that it had laid new mines. 'Cambodia maintains its firm stance that it has not and will not use or plant any new landmine,' Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said in a regular press briefing. She also repeated the fact that many border areas are still seeded with explosives from Cambodia's decades of civil war, claiming that this was the source of the explosion. Meanwhile, Cambodia continues to accuse Thailand of its own violations of the ceasefire. In a letter dated August 11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally notified the United Nations Security Council of a string of alleged Thai violations. It claims that since the end of hostilities on July 28, Thai military units 'have repeatedly crossed into Cambodian territory, illegally laid barbed wire, and built roads at multiple points along the border,' in the Khmer Times' paraphrase. Regarding the landmine issue, there are two separate questions in dispute: First, whether Cambodia has laid fresh landmines along the border; and second, whether it has done so since the ceasefire. On at least the first count, Thailand should be able to make a convincing case to the outside world. The RTA says that it recovered three PMN-2 mines from the area adjacent to yesterday's explosion, which it said were in 'new condition' and not remnants from past conflicts. PMN-2 mines, which were manufactured in the Soviet Union from the 1970s until the 1990s, were among the most 'commonly found' mines laid during the country's civil war, Phnom Penh said in its submission to the United Nations in 2000, after it joined the Ottawa Convention. Since then, Cambodia claims that it has destroyed all of its stockpiles of anti-personnel mines in line with the treaty. However, Article 3 of the Ottawa Convention permits nations to retain a small number of mines 'for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques.'As of 2020, Cambodia 'reported having 3,730 anti-personnel mines and other types retained for these permitted purposes,' according to the Convention's website. Cambodia's own most recent Article 7 submission clarifies that this includes the PMN-2 model. Thailand claims that it destroyed all of its stockpiles under the Ottawa Convention in 2003. It also reported that it destroyed the small number of antipersonnel mines that it held for research and training purposes in 2019.
