MFA to lodge complaint
Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said the army is investigating whether the mine was a newly planted device or a remnant, with the result expected within days or early next week.
If it is confirmed to be a new landmine, the army will raise the issue with its Cambodian counterpart while the MFA will proceed through proper channels in accordance with the Ottawa Convention and other frameworks such as the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on border demarcation, he said.
Both Thailand and Cambodia are signatories to the Ottawa Convention, which officially prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines. Cambodia ratified it in 1997, while Thailand ratified it in 1999.
The incident occurred on Wednesday near Hill 481 in the Chong Bok area of Ubon Ratchathani's Nam Yuen district. According to the Second Army Region, a group of soldiers was patrolling in the area when one of them stepped on a mine, causing an explosion that injured three of them.
Pvt Thanapat Huiwan, whose left foot was severed at the ankle, underwent an operation and is now in a safe condition. The other two soldiers, Sgt Patiphant Srilasak and Pvt Nathawut Srikhem, suffered chest pains.
Military sources said that subsequent searches in the area also revealed three more mines identified as Russian-made PMN-2, and photographic evidence indicated these mines were planted recently.
The Second Army Region yesterday dispatched bomb disposal and forensic teams to inspect the area and gather more evidence.
Prior to Wednesday's incident, anti-personnel landmines and various types of ordnance were discovered during June 10-July 15 as troops from the engineering corps undertook clearance operations to make patrol routes.
They included POMZ, M14 and M16 anti-personnel landmines, RPG rounds, M203 grenades, mortar shells and parts of the TM57 anti-tank device.
Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree on Friday denied suggestions made by some Cambodian media that the mine might have been planted by the Thai side, saying the military never had or procured PMN-2 mines.
He said the army will verify the type of mine and respond officially once the facts are established.
Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) director-general Heng Ratana posted on social media that Thai officials have made differing claims for the July 16 mine explosion, with some saying it was the remnant of war and others claiming it was a new device.
"A few reporters requested my comments, I just returned questions to them by advising them to verify whether the location of the incident occurred in Thailand or Cambodia. If the incident was in Thailand's territorial jurisdiction or control, thus Thailand knows about it," Heng Ratana wrote in a Facebook post.
Deputy Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Narkphanit on Friday acknowledged the possibility that the landmine could be new but noted that an investigation is required to determine it.
He was speaking ahead of his trip to Ubon Ratchathani to visit and extend moral support to the injured soldiers. Culture Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is suspended from her duties as PM, also joined the trip.
RAdm Surasant Kongsiri, spokesman for the Thai-Cambodian Border Situation Administration Centre, said yesterday the injured soldiers will receive full benefits.
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