Landmine cuts off another Thai soldier's leg
The Royal Thai Army reported that the explosion happened at 9.10am when a group of paramilitary rangers from the 2610 Paramilitary Ranger Company was patrolling near Ta Muen Thom temple ruins in Phanom Dong Rak district of the northeastern province bordering Cambodia.
The injured ranger was rushed to hospital.
The incident happened as the Thai military and government repeated their protest against Cambodia for its use of anti-personnel landmines which violated the Ottawa Treaty and showed insincerity in its ceasefire agreement with Thailand.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Drones cleared for take-off after conflict ban
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has relaxed restrictions on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) nationwide, allowing drone flights to resume under strict conditions after a two-week suspension prompted by heightened border tensions with Cambodia. The easing of restrictions would be in effect until Aug 31, although the measure will likely be extended until further notice, government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said on Saturday. Drone operations are once again permitted across the country except in designated no-fly zones, which can be checked via the aviation regulator's UAS Portal application. Civilian drone flights were suspended between July 30 and Aug 15, as authorities feared UAV activity might interfere with military operations as clashes flared along the Thai-Cambodian frontier. Under the new rules, drone users must notify authorities of the flight area, date, time and purpose at least three days in advance via the UAS Portal app or at the UAS Portal website. Such flights must also be reported to the Anti-Drone Centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau at Drone flights are to be allowed between 6am and 6pm. Night flights remain prohibited in all cases. Any special requests must be forwarded to the CAAT. In a related development, the Second Army Region said it had detected 37 enemy UAVs along the Thai–Cambodian border and a further 13 inside Thai territory as of 2pm on Friday. In addition, it said, infrared signals were detected at 10 locations near Phnom Prasit — a pair of low-lying hills located in Kandal province of Cambodia, around 1–2 kilometres from a Thai checkpoint — suggesting possible troop reinforcements on the Cambodian side.
Bangkok Post
7 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Diplomats survey border clash damage in Si Sa Ket
Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa led a delegation of diplomats from 33 countries to Si Sa Ket province on Saturday to inspect areas damaged by recent border clashes and survey sites allegedly mined by Cambodian forces. Mr Maris was accompanied by vice-minister Russ Jalichandra, along with representatives of international organisations and civil society groups engaged in mine clearance. In addition to the diplomats, one civil society organisation and two international groups were present, as well as Thai and foreign media. At Phum Saron Wittaya School in tambon Sao Thong Chai in Kantharalak district of the northeastern province, the delegation received a briefing from the Royal Thai Army, the Foreign and Interior ministries.. The briefing included photographic evidence that newly developed landmines had caused severe injuries and permanent disability to five Thai soldiers in five incidents in contested territory since July 16. Officials said these were not remnants of old stockpiles, as Cambodia has claimed, but newly manufactured mines. Thailand has already destroyed all the landmines in its own arsenal. Mr Maris urged Cambodia to demonstrate sincerity and cooperate with Thailand in joint clearance operations, as proposed during the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Malaysia. He called on Ottawa Treaty signatories, particularly donor states, to condemn the use of landmines and support cooperation with the Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC) in bilateral clearance efforts. 'Landmines are indiscriminate weapons that inflict inhumane suffering on both soldiers and innocent civilians,' said the foreign minister. Despite a ceasefire agreement reached at the GBC talks, Cambodia was intensifying disinformation campaigns daily, said Mr Maris. He appealed to friendly nations to prevent the spread of false narratives that undermine peace talks and harm border communities. July 24 documentary The briefing included a video presentation titled The Explosion the World Never Heard, but Si Sa Ket Will Never Forget. The documentary recounted the July 24 blast that killed eight civilians, including children and shop employees, and injured 19 others, when BM-21 rockets fired from Cambodia struck a PTT petrol station and a 7-Eleven store in Ban Phue. The attack also damaged homes, schools and health centres, forcing the evacuation of more than 100,000 people, Thai authorities said. Livestock perished in fields, while authorities later discovered 58 shells scattered across 45 locations, 10 of which remain unsafe. Five residents from Phum Saron village, who had lost limbs to landmines in past incidents, met with the delegation to share their experiences of lifelong suffering and trauma. In the afternoon, the delegation was scheduled to travel to Phu Makua and nearby army outposts to observe the terrain and monitor ongoing humanitarian mine clearance operations. Government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said the mission to Si Sa Ket sought to present tangible evidence to the global community that Cambodia had intentionally violated the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning the use of anti-personnel landmines, an act Thailand described as a breach of international law and a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Bangkok Post
8 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Trio smuggling e-waste from shuttered plant arrested
PRACHIN BURI - Police on Friday arrested three smugglers on their way to deliver electronic waste to a factory in Chachoengsao province. The suspects — a Thai, a Chinese and a Myanmar national — were each driving pickup trucks loaded with electronic waste, including motors, cooling system parts and scrap metal, said Pol Col Winyu Jamsai, superintendent of Subdivision 2 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division. Officers were acting on a tip-off that material was going to be moved from the site of a company that authorities had closed earlier for illegal electronic waste disposal. Police also seized all e-waste found at the premises in Si Maha Phot district of Prachin Buri, Pol Col Winyu said. The three suspects said they had been hired to deliver the items to a factory in tambon Samet Nuea of Bang Khla district in Chachoengsao, he said. An initial investigation revealed the factory in Chachoengsao was also operating illegally and storing e-waste without a licence. A formal complaint would be proceeded against its owner for further legal action, police said.
