Cambodia denies involvement in landmine blast injuring Thai soldiers

Bangkok Post

7 days ago

The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) has firmly denied claims made in Thai media reports alleging that Cambodian forces were responsible for planting landmines that injured three Thai soldiers earlier this week.
In a statement released on Friday, the CMAA expressed deep regret over the incident and rejected what it described as 'baseless accusations' that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the Mom Bei area, where the explosion reportedly took place.
Several Thai news outlets, including the Bangkok Post, the Nation and Khaosod English, quoted senior Thai officials as saying that three soldiers sustained injuries from landmines on Wednesday at coordinates WA 220 861, as confirmed by the Thai side.
The reports alleged that the devices had recently been planted by Cambodian troops, said the CMAA as reported by Khmer Times on Saturday.
The CMAA stressed that Cambodia had long suffered from the scourge of landmines and had taken a strong stance against their use.
'Cambodia is a country that has suffered tremendously from landmines and explosive remnants of war. As such, Cambodia strongly condemns and firmly opposes the use, production, and stockpiling of landmines,' the statement read. 'We deeply regret every landmine-related tragedy, regardless of where it occurs or who is affected.'
The CMAA underscored Cambodia's longstanding commitment to peace and mine clearance, citing the leadership of former Prime Minister Hun Sen and his successor, Prime Minister Hun Manet. Cambodia is a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.
According to the CMAA, Cambodia has met its international obligations and is widely recognised for its achievements in mine clearance. The Kingdom hosted the 11th Meeting of the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention and the 5th Review Conference—also known as the Siem Reap-Angkor Summit for a Mine-Free World—in 2024, both of which were considered landmark events.
On the incident involving injured Thai soldiers, the CMAA called for any conclusions to be based on clear, verifiable investigations rather than 'speculation or unfounded accusations.'
Cambodia remains fully committed to the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding cooperation along the border with Thailand, and to transforming the border into an area of peace, friendship, collaboration and development, according to the statement.
The CMAA urged all parties to refrain from making premature or baseless accusations and instead work together to investigate the incident while upholding a spirit of friendship, safety and mutual respect, emphasising that 'the true enemy of all of us is landmines.'
On Wednesday, Pvt Thanapat Huiwan stepped on a landmine while his group was patrolling from the Morakot Operations Base to Hill 481 in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani province.
Chong Bok forms the so-called Emerald Triangle that borders three countries: Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. It was a battlefield between Thai and Vietnamese troops in 1973 when the Vietnamese chased Khmer Rouge soldiers fleeing Cambodia to the Thai border.
Thailand and Cambodia held a short exchange of gunfire in the area on May 28 as a simmering border dispute between the two countries boiled over, with tensions remaining high to this day.