Army seizes Cambodian IED after border encroachment detected

Thailand’s Second Army Area has disclosed details of the seizure of an improvised explosive device (IED) from a military area under Cambodian control, after what it described as an incursion to establish a military operating base and use the site to store weapons and equipment.

An inspection found a homemade IED assembled using a TM-57 anti-tank mine combined with C-4 composite explosive or other high explosives, an electric detonator, wiring, metal fragments, and other additional components.

The Second Army Area said the findings indicated the TM-57 had been modified into an improvised weapon, potentially intended as a directional explosive or a device that could be detonated remotely.

The Second Army Area said its analysis highlighted three key observations:

• Standard military-grade equipment was used and adapted into an IED.
• The components suggested an intention to produce a powerful blast.
• The initiation system may have been controllable, or the device may have been placed as a trap.

The Second Army Area said the alleged action constituted a threat to the safety of Thai personnel and could cause casualties for anyone entering the area.