Thai soldiers wounded by land mine near Cambodian border amid ceasefire
BANGKOK (Reuters) -- Three Thai soldiers were wounded by a land mine while patrolling the border with Cambodia, the Thai army said in a statement on Saturday, days after the two neighbors agreed to a detailed ceasefire following a violent five-day conflict last month.
One soldier lost a foot and two others were wounded after one of them stepped on a land mine as they patrolled an area between Thailand's Sisaket and Cambodia's Preah Vihear provinces on Saturday morning, the Thai army said.
The soldiers are being treated at a hospital, the army said.
Cambodia's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The incident is the third time in recent weeks that Thai soldiers have been wounded by mines while patrolling along the border. Two previous similar incidents led to the downgrading of diplomatic relations and triggered five days of violent clashes.
The Southeast Asian neighbors were engaged in deadly border clashes from July 24-28, in the worst fighting between the two in more than a decade. The exchanges of artillery fire and fighter jet sorties claimed at least 43 lives and left more than 300,000 people displaced on both sides.
A fragile ceasefire has been holding since Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Thursday to allow observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to inspect disputed border areas to ensure hostilities do not resume.
Bangkok accused Cambodia of planting land mines on the Thai side of the disputed border that wounded soldiers on July 16 and July 23. Phnom Penh denied it had placed any new mines and said the soldiers had veered off agreed routes and triggered old land mines left from its decades of war.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
a day ago
- Nikkei Asia
Singapore court fines tycoon $23,000 over gifts scandal
Crime Billionaire Ong Beng Seng spared jail time on account of health issues Businessman Ong Beng Seng, pictured in September 2023 at the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. © Reuters DYLAN LOH August 15, 2025 19:02 JST SINGAPORE -- Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has been fined 30,000 Singapore dollars ($23,400) by a Singapore court on Friday over a gifts scandal involving a former cabinet minister that rocked the city-state reputed for clean governance.
Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Second senior Chinese diplomat detained for questioning, sources say
BEIJING--A deputy to a prominent Chinese diplomat being questioned by authorities was also detained, three people with knowledge of the matter said, a further sign of uncertainty in the top echelons of China's diplomacy. Sun Haiyan, a senior diplomat and former ambassador to Singapore, was detained in early August around the time Liu Jianchao, widely seen as a potential foreign minister candidate, was taken in for questioning, two of the people said. Sun, the first woman to serve as a deputy head of the Communist Party's International Department, was detained by Chinese authorities in connection with the questioning of Liu, the sources said. None of the sources knew the basis of the questioning of either diplomat. The sources requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The detention of Liu, who leads the International Department, marked the highest-level disappearance of a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and President Xi Jinping's protege, Qin Gang, in 2023, following an unexplained public absence. His detention followed a work trip to Singapore, South Africa and Algeria. His house was searched in early August. The disappearance of Sun alongside the highly visible Liu, adds to questions about China's foreign policy establishment at a time of rising tensions with Washington around trade and geopolitical influence. China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries for the government, and the International Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters could not verify if both Sun and Liu were still being detained. Neither could be reached for comment. Both their profiles remain on the International Department's website. Sun's last public appearance was on August 1, when she attended a reception hosted by Nepal's embassy in Beijing. Sun, 53, was stationed in Singapore between May 2022 and July 2023. When she left her post, she hosted a 500-person reception at a luxury Singapore hotel, according to Chinese news reports. She joined the International Department in 1997, where she served in a wide range of roles, including spokesperson and head of the bureau responsible for ties with Southeast Asian countries. She also served as a district Party Committee official in the city of Zibo, Shandong province, in 2008. Originally from Hebei province, Sun holds a doctorate in law from Peking University, having also studied at Japan's Kyushu University.
The Diplomat
2 days 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.
