Thai Army Condemns Cambodia Over Border Landmine Attack
A Thai soldier has been seriously injured by a landmine, with the army accusing Cambodia of violating a ceasefire and international conventions
The Royal Thai Army has condemned Cambodia for a series of landmine attacks on Thai soldiers, calling the actions a "major obstacle" to ongoing bilateral peace talks.
On Wednesday, the army confirmed that Private Adisorn Pomklang of the 1st Infantry Battalion was seriously injured after stepping on an anti-personnel landmine allegedly planted by Cambodian forces.
The incident occurred in Thai territory near the Ta Kwai temple in Surin province, resulting in the soldier losing his lower right leg.
marks the sixth such incident and the third since a mutual ceasefire agreement was established between the two countries.
The Thai Army's spokesperson, Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, stated that the incident makes it clear that Cambodia continues to violate the ceasefire agreement and its obligations under the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel landmines.
"The deliberate planting of landmines to target our personnel is an intentional act with malicious intent," Maj Gen Winthai said at Army Headquarters. "These recurring incidents in border areas reflect Cambodia's hostile and continuous behaviour in threatening our side and violating Thailand’s territorial integrity, which is contrary to the ceasefire agreement reached at the recent GBC meeting."
The army believes that the use of landmines has been systematically planned along the border to deliberately harm Thai forces, noting that the latest incident occurred well within Thailand's operational zone.
Maj Gen Winthai added that such actions are a significant hurdle to efforts by both nations to de-escalate tensions through recent bilateral mechanisms.
