Army clears Kantharalak border area after soldier injured by old landmine

The Royal Thai Army says a border area in Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket, has been made safe after a soldier was injured by an old landmine during a security mission.

Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said on July 18, 2026, that the incident occurred the previous day while troops were reinforcing security and improving an operational base along the border.

He said the site was a newly opened deployment area that may not yet have undergone a full and detailed mine survey.

According to the Army, Cambodian forces had not used the area during the most recent fighting, and the mine involved was believed to be old. Winthai said the device’s mechanism was no longer fully functional, but it still caused injury to the soldier.

After the incident, Army engineer units and Humanitarian Mine Action Unit 3, under the Thailand Mine Action Centre, inspected the area and found 19 old PMN-1 anti-personnel mines scattered nearby.

The area was immediately sealed off before clearance teams removed the mines and made the site safe, the Army said.

Winthai added that the Second Army Area has instructed all units carrying out border reinforcement and security missions to increase caution and strengthen area checks, especially in locations that have not yet been surveyed or cleared of landmines.