Latest news with #Anti-PersonnelMineBanConvention
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Thailand protests Cambodia's use of anti-personnel mines, citing ceasefire breach and Ottawa Convention violations
BANGKOK: Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday (Aug 12) issued a four-point statement protesting Cambodia's use of anti-personnel mines. It urged the international community to review mine clearance aid to Phnom Penh. The statement reads: 1. On 12 August 2025, in the Chong Chub Ta Mok area in Surin Province, seven soldiers from Thailand's 2610th Paramilitary Company were conducting a routine patrol, but then came upon and stepped on yet another landmine. The Royal Thai Government condemns in the strongest terms the use of anti-personnel mines. Such action is yet another repetition of Cambodia's insincere conduct, and an outright breach of international law, including the principles that are fundamental to the United Nations Charter, as well as a clear violation of the obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) and international humanitarian law. 2. This incident, when taken together with the previous landmine incident on 9 August 2025, reflects Cambodia's lack of good faith and contravenes the ceasefire agreement finalised by both sides at the Thailand–Cambodia Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting, held on 7 August 2025 in Kuala Lumpur. Thailand therefore must again call on Cambodia to immediately cease these gross violations of the Ottawa Convention. - Photo: The Nation/ANN 3. Thailand is lodging further protests with Cambodia, the President of the Ottawa Convention and the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Thailand is also calling upon the international community, including donor countries and international organisations who provide assistance to Cambodia in mine clearance and mine action efforts, to reconsider their support in light of these repetitive incidents. Thailand will also consider taking other measures of protest as deemed appropriate. 4. Thailand reaffirms its commitment to fully implement the Ottawa Convention and expresses its deep disappointment that Cambodia - having experienced the horrors of genocide and having previously committed itself to mine clearance in compliance with the Convention - has reverted to the inhumane use of such weapons against fellow human beings. Thailand calls on the ASEAN community, a rules-based organisation, to urge Cambodia to strictly abide by international law. Furthermore, Thailand requests that the Interim Observer Team, established pursuant to the decision of the aforementioned GBC Meeting, give due consideration to this matter during its future field visits. This is crucial to ensuring the safety of the border area for innocent civilians of both countries. - The Nation/ANN
The Star
11-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
'Cheap shots': Cambodia slams Thailand for ‘blatant ceasefire violations' including border patrols and slingshot attacks
PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times): Amid renewed border tensions, Cambodia rejects landmine accusations and accuses Bangkok of deliberate provocations such as illegal troop movements, unlawful detention of 18 captured soldiers, and resorting to slingshots to provoke Cambodian troops. While the Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire was observed over the weekend, resulting in a calm border, Thailand continued to threaten the armistice with a series of provocations, including by lobbing at Cambodia the same unfounded landmine accusation that had triggered the recent five-day deadly armed conflict between the two neighbours. On Saturday, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that three soldiers from Thailand's 1st Infantry Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment, were injured while 'conducting a routine patrol within Thai territory that was recently cleared of landmines' near the Don Aow-Kritsana area, Si Sa Ket province. This marked the third time Thai border military personnel were wounded by a landmine in less than a month. The ministry went on to accuse Cambodia of deliberately planting landmines in the area, which is a violation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention), which both Cambodia and Thailand have ratified. 'This incident confirms once again the previous investigation reports of the Royal Thai Army that new landmines are being laid in blatant violation of international law,' the statement read. 'Such actions by the Cambodian side pose a significant obstacle to the implementation of the ceasefire agreed upon by both sides.' The Thai foreign affairs ministry declared that it was lodging further protests and taking legal action against Cambodia. 'Thailand, therefore, must make repeated calls on Cambodia to immediately cease these gross violations of the Ottawa Convention by the laying of new landmines and urgently cooperate on humanitarian demining efforts along the border of the two countries as bilaterally agreed by both prime ministers,' it said. 'This issue was also proposed by the Thai side at the Extraordinary Session of the General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting between Thailand and Cambodia, held on 7 August 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to which the Cambodian side has unfortunately not responded.' On Saturday evening, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) strongly rejected Thailand's accusations that Cambodia had planted new landmines near the border, calling the claims 'unsubstantiated' and urging restraint to maintain the recently agreed ceasefire. 'Cambodia's position is unequivocal: We have not, and will not, plant new landmines,' the CMAA statement said, highlighting Cambodia's internationally recognised track record in mine clearance. It stressed that over the past three decades, Cambodia has removed more than a million landmines and nearly three million explosive remnants of war, 'saving countless lives and restoring land to communities.' The statement said no 'official and transparent investigation' has been carried out into the reported incident and called for all sides to avoid 'public statements without verified facts' that could undermine trust. 'Unsubstantiated accusations not only risk undermining the spirit of cooperation established under the ceasefire but also threaten to erode trust at a moment when constructive engagement is most needed,' the CMAA said. The CMAA added that Cambodia wishes to see Thailand respect the points agreed upon at the extraordinary meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee (GBC), particularly point two, which states that both sides must maintain current troop deployments without further movement, including patrols, towards the other side's position. 'We reiterate our readiness to work with Thailand, ASEAN partners, and the international mine action community to uphold peace and promote safety.' In a press conference yesterday, Cambodia's Foreign Affairs spokesman Chum Sounry also denied the landmine accusation and demanded that Thailand fully respect the agreements reached at the special GBC meeting. 'The Cambodian mine action authorities, who oversee mine clearance and assist landmine victims, had provided a clear explanation and rejected Thailand's unfounded allegations,' he said. The spokesman said that up to the present time, there has been no credible or transparent investigation related to the incident raised by the Thai side. 'Cambodia calls for patience and avoidance of hasty public accusations that could damage mutual trust and the spirit of the ceasefire,' he said. 'Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement as they are at the time the ceasefire is reached at 24:00 hours (local time) on 28 July 2025. There shall be no troop movements, including patrol towards the other side's position,' said point two of the joint minutes signed by General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Cambodia, and General Nattaphon Nakphanit, Acting Deputy Minister of Defence of Thailand, after the GBC meeting last week. The article clearly shows that by having its soldiers conduct patrols in the disputed border area, Thailand has violated the ceasefire agreement. The Thai military has also violated point six of the comprehensive ceasefire framework, which states that captured soldiers shall be immediately released and repatriated after the cessation of active hostilities in accordance with Article 118 of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 and Rule 128 (A) of the Customary International Humanitarian Law. As of yesterday, Thailand has not released the 18 Cambodian soldiers its armed force captured just eight hours after the ceasefire came into effect on July 28. 'Cambodia has called on Thailand to promptly release the Cambodian soldiers detained after the ceasefire agreement, in accordance with international mechanisms,' said Lieutenant Maly Socheata during a press conference over the weekend. 'Cambodia will never abandon any of its soldiers under any circumstances.' Yet, Major General Winthai Suwaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army, still claimed the detention of the 18 Cambodian soldiers is in full compliance with international law and protected under international legal frameworks, particularly the Geneva Conventions, and is not an 'illegal detention' as alleged by Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence. According to Thai media, Winthai said the detention must continue until the ceasefire or combat situation is fully and concretely resolved to ensure the soldiers do not return to engage in hostilities against Thai forces – a measure fully aligned with international standards. In another development, Brigadier General Nak Vong, Commander of the 42th Infantry Brigade, said that Thai soldiers on Saturday used slingshots to shoot marbles and iron pellets into the compound of the Ta Moan Temple complex currently occupied by Cambodian troops. 'They targeted Cambodian troops at night,' he said. 'We counted 100 shots. This is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement. We have already reported this violation to the higher-ups.' In a social media statement, Hun Sen said the border tensions have shifted from conventional weapon exchanges to the use of slingshots loaded with ball bearings and metal pellets. He warned that such an action could spiral into renewed armed clashes if not addressed immediately. 'In truth, I did not wish to speak about this issue. However, remaining silent may lead the Thai leadership to remain unaware and the international community to misunderstand the situation,' he wrote. 'At first glance, this may seem like a trivial or even humorous matter. But upon deeper examination, it is a serious issue.' The former Prime Minister said that if left unchecked, the skirmishes could escalate from slingshots to 'the use of all kinds of weapons', effectively nullifying the hard-won ceasefire between the two nations. Calling for restraint on both sides, Hun Sen urged the government of Cambodia to issue immediate orders to its military to halt the use of such weapons. 'I hope the Thai leadership will issue similar orders to their military to cease the use of weapons,' he added. In another Facebook post later the same day, he scoffed at the decision of Thailand's Ramkhamhaeng University to revoke his honorary doctorate in political science, saying the award has been meaningless to him for nearly two decades. Hun Sen said he had only learnt that a Thai university 'whose name I can't even recall' had voted to strip him of the title. 'Let me clarify: there is no need to revoke it. I already discarded that degree in the toilet back in 2008, when Thailand deployed its military to invade Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple,' he wrote. 'Your degree has no value for me to keep.' He went on to say he had never taken pride in 'a piece of paper' from the institution. 'Hun Sen's intellect was not born from your institution. Hun Sen's intellect comes from the teachings of the Cambodian people and the schools of Cambodia,' the former prime minister added. His remarks came after Ramkhamhaeng University issued a statement on Thursday announcing the revocation of the honorary degree, citing what it described as Mr Hun Sen's 'hostile behaviour' towards Thailand and support for armed violence that caused Thai military and civilian casualties. 'Since the behaviour of the honorary doctorate recipient has changed, the honorary declaration should rightfully be revoked,' the university said. 'For these reasons, the Ramkhamhaeng University Council unanimously voted to revoke Hun Sen's honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree in Political Science, effective from the date of the resolution, August 8, 2025.' Hun Sen was awarded the degree in 1991 for what the university described at the time as his role in promoting peace and stability in the region. Documentation Centre of Cambodia Director Youk Chhang said the 'pettiness' depicted by Thailand is not a characteristic of a mature international power. 'Trivial actions like the use of a slingshot or the revocation of a degree are certainly two distinctly different things that should be addressed differently, but they encompass one common problem, which is the proclivity of a party to an armed conflict to attempt to skirt, muddle or otherwise blur a peace agreement through petty acts that are only meant to aggravate the other party,' he said. Asian Vision Institute President Chheng Kimlong said Cambodia must put in more effort to collect evidence of the ceasefire violations and provocations in the past to set a strong foundation for international debates and legal battles. 'In addition to the daily update on what is happening at the border, the Ministry of National Defence must also give detailed presentations on these violating and provocative actions by Thailand,' he said. 'Cambodian diplomats and ambassadors must also give the presentations to the international organisations and countries they have been assigned to.' Kimlong called on the US and China, both of which played key roles in helping Cambodia and Thailand reach a ceasefire, to closely monitor the implementation and take serious measures against the party who violated the agreement. 'If it is discovered that Thailand has seriously violated international laws, the US should revoke crucial alliance treaties with Thailand, including the 1966 Treaty of Amity,' he said. 'Disciplinary actions need to be taken to show that no country can go free for insulting global security and stability.' - Khmer Times
The Star
11-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Thailand files Ottawa Convention complaints over Cambodian landmine incidents
BANGKOK: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched diplomatic actions under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) in response to three recent landmine incidents involving Thai military personnel, which it says were caused by mines newly planted by Cambodian forces. The incidents occurred on July 16, July 23, and August 9, 2025, in the Chong Bok area and Chong An Ma area of Ubon Ratchathani Province, and the Chong Don Ao–Krisana area of Kantharalak District, Si Sa Ket Province. Eleven Thai soldiers were seriously injured. The Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Office in Geneva submitted three separate letters to the President-designate of the 22nd Meeting of the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention: July 23 letter – Thailand reported that Cambodian forces had violated Article 1 of the Convention, which prohibits the use or stockpiling of anti-personnel mines, in the Chong Bok area during a routine patrol. Investigations confirmed the mine was a recently planted PMN-2 type, a model held by Cambodia. Thailand requested the letter be circulated to all States Parties. July 24 letter – Thailand reported a second violation in the Chong An Ma area, also in Ubon Ratchathani. It further accused Cambodia of committing an act of aggression on the same day at 08:20 hrs, involving indiscriminate armed attacks on Thai territory, breaching Thailand's sovereignty and violating international law, including the UN Charter. August 9 letter – Thailand reported another violation in the Chong Don Ao–Krisana area, which had previously been cleared of mines. The investigation suggested the mine was recently planted. This incident came just two days after an Extraordinary General Border Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where Thailand had proposed joint demining operations—an offer Cambodia declined. In addition, on July 24, 2025, the Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in New York wrote to the UN Secretary-General requesting clarification from Cambodia under Article 8(2) of the Convention, which allows States Parties to seek explanations on compliance. Cambodia is required to respond via the UN Secretary-General. Thai envoys in Geneva and New York have also raised the issue with senior officials of several States Parties, the Ottawa Convention's Committee on Cooperative Compliance, and relevant civil society groups, urging them to take appropriate action. These procedures remain ongoing. The Ottawa Convention prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, or transfer of anti-personnel mines and requires their destruction. It has 165 States Parties. Thailand became the first South-East Asian country to join in 1999 and completed the destruction of all stockpiled mines in 2003, as well as those retained for research and training in 2019. Cambodia joined in 2000 but retains anti-personnel mines, including PMN-2 types, for research and training. - The Nation/ANN
The Diplomat
11-08-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Thailand Again Accuses Cambodia of Laying Fresh Landmines Along Disputed Border
The country's military claims that three soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion on Saturday, the third in recent weeks. Thailand has again accused the Cambodian military of laying fresh landmines along the two countries' shared border, drawing another angry denial from Phnom Penh. The Royal Thai Army (RTA) claimed that three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine while patrolling an area between Thailand's Sisaket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province on Saturday. One soldier lost a foot and the other two were injured in the explosion. RTA spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suwaree claimed that the area had previously been cleared by the Thai humanitarian mine action unit, accusing Cambodia of deliberately laying the mines, adding that the act was 'dishonorable, lacks the dignity of a soldier, and constitutes a deliberate violation of the Ottawa Convention.' In a statement, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority denied the Thai army's accusation. 'Cambodia's position is unequivocal: We have not, and will not, plant new landmines,' it stated. 'Cambodia is a proud State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention [the Ottawa Convention], which it ratified in 1999, and has an internationally recognized record of removing, not deploying, these indiscriminate weapons.' A similar denial was also issued by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The blast came just two days after the two nations' General Border Committee agreed to a 13-point plan to maintain the ceasefire that was declared on July 28, after five days of fierce clashes along the border, which killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 on both sides of the border. This involved a mutual pledge 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 blast followed two similar landmine explosions reported by the Thai military, which contributed to the outbreak of hostilities last month. The first took place on July 16 in the eastern sector of the border, when three Thai soldiers were wounded after one stepped on a landmine and lost a foot, after which the Thai army said that it had found that 10 freshly laid Russian-made PMN-2 anti-personnel mines in areas along the border, the same time that the Thai army alleges was involved in Saturday's explosion. A second blast on July 23, which injured five soldiers, one of whom lost his right leg, prompted Thailand to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Cambodia, a move that precipitated the outbreak of fighting on July 24. On both occasions, Cambodia denied laying fresh mines, arguing that the Thai soldiers had strayed from previously agreed patrol routes and stumbled across landmines that were laid during the country's long civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. The exchange of angry statements hints at the level of mistrust and tension that persists between the two sides, despite last week's ceasefire agreement. Politicians and military officials on both sides continue to engage in tit-for-tat statements and accusations that continue to raise the prospect of a resumption of fighting. In comments to the press yesterday, Lt. Gen. Boonsin Padklang, the head of Thailand's Second Army Region, vowed to recapture Prasat Ta Kwai (Prasat Ta Krabei in Khmer), one of three temples that are at the center of the current dispute. He added that the Thai army had now closed Ta Moan Thom, another of these temples, 'and are considering whether to permanently close it or close it only for certain periods.' He also made the unverified claim that Cambodia had suffered 3,000 casualties in the recent border clashes. Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata wasted no time in denouncing the Thai declaration as 'irrefutable evidence of provocation and a deliberate and premeditated attempt to invade Cambodian territory.' She said that Boonsin's comments violated the July 28 ceasefire and 'undermined the spirit of the Cambodia–Thailand General Border Committee's extraordinary meeting in Malaysia on August 7.' Exactly which side is most responsible for the continued tensions is hard to determine. Nonetheless, it is clear that political dynamics on both sides of the border continue to militate against a peaceful solution, and that the nationalist passions stoked by the recent conflict make it hard for either nation to be perceived as 'giving in' to the other, or allowing a perceived slight to go unanswered. On the Thai side, tensions persist between the weak Pheu Thai-led government, which signed the ceasefire agreements on July 28 and August 7, and the Thai military, which has long viewed itself as the ultimate guardian of Thai sovereignty. As Paul Chambers noted in a recent article for Fulcrum, the lead-up to last month's conflict saw the military repeatedly undermine the authority of the Pheu Thai government, which the army and the conservative Thai political establishment, more generally, have long mistrusted. The resulting disjuncture has introduced an unpredictability and volatility into Thai decision-making on the border dispute that has increased the chances of a fresh outbreak of fighting. Unlike its counterpart in Bangkok, Prime Minister Hun Manet's government continues to benefit politically from the border conflict, which has unified the nation around his leadership. Given its control of the military and the press, it has also been able to establish more messaging discipline than the Thai side. This suggests that the government's acrimonious claims about Thai behavior, which have included a number of outlandish false claims, are a conscious strategy to play on Thai internal divisions. Whether or not the Cambodian government actively wishes to stoke the conflict, the sense of le patrie en danger clearly comes with ancillary benefits, creating a distraction from more pressing social and economic challenges. As with the Thai side, it currently has more to gain from confrontation than from a lasting peace.
The Star
10-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Thailand claims three soldiers injured by landmine along border, Cambodia strongly refutes
BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): The Thai Army said three Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion on Saturday morning during a patrol operation along the Thai-Cambodian border. However, Cambodia strongly refuted the Thai accusations. According to Thailand's Second Army Region, the explosion occurred at around 10:00 a.m. local time, when Thai troops were conducting a patrol and laying barbed wire to reinforce border security in Sisaket Province. Thai army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said that the incident clearly demonstrated the continued, concealed use of weapons along the border by the Cambodian side, which is a clear violation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or the Ottawa Convention. "Such actions pose a major obstacle to implementing ceasefire measures and resolving the conflict through peaceful means and further reinforce evidence that Cambodia has consistently initiated the use of weapons first," Winthai said in a statement. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) on Saturday evening strongly refuted the Thai accusations that Cambodia laid new mines that exploded and injured three Thai soldiers. "Cambodia's position is unequivocal: We have not, and will not, plant new landmines," the CMAA said in a press release. "At this time, no official and transparent investigation has been carried out regarding the reported incident involving injured Thai soldiers," the press release said. "In the absence of verified facts, it is essential that all parties exercise restraint in public statements. Unsubstantiated accusations not only risk undermining the spirit of cooperation established under the ceasefire but also threaten to erode trust at a moment when constructive engagement is most needed," it added. The press release said Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will respect the points agreed upon at the extraordinary meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee (GBC), especially point two, which states that both sides maintain current troop deployments without further movement, including patrol towards the other side's position. On Aug. 7, Cambodia and Thailand reached a consensus on the details of a ceasefire and signed an agreement at a GBC extraordinary meeting held in Malaysia. Both sides agreed to maintain current troop deployments and not to increase forces along the border. - Xinhua
