Thai military calls on UN to investigate Cambodia’s illegal landmine placement at border, urging joint demining efforts
Thailand calls on UN to investigate Cambodia's illegal landmine placement at border, urging joint demining efforts with Cambodia’s CMAC.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF), through the Thailand Mine Action Centre (TMAC), has called on the United Nations (UN) to address the issue of Cambodia’s illegal landmine placement along the Thai-Cambodian border. This follows the discovery of PMN-2 anti-personnel mines planted by Cambodian forces, in violation of the Ottawa Convention.
Thailand has requested UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), as well as other relevant international organisations, to assist in investigating and verifying evidence, as well as participating in humanitarian demining operations.
The call to action follows an incident on August 27, 2025, when a Thai soldier from the Royal Thai Army stepped on a landmine while on patrol near Ta Kwai Temple in Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province.
According to Maj Gen Vithai Laithomya, RTARF spokesman, initial investigations confirmed that the mines found were of the PMN-2 type, which were recently planted by Cambodian military forces, marking the sixth such incident since the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire agreement was reached through the General Border Committee (GBC). This points to a clear and ongoing violation of the ceasefire and the Ottawa Convention, to which Cambodia is a signatory.
Despite Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence denying the allegations, claiming the mines were remnants from past wars and asserting compliance with the Ottawa Convention, the evidence does not support this claim. The area in question had been thoroughly cleared of mines by the Royal Thai Army since 2019, with over 1,300 mines already removed, and the mines found recently show newer plastic casing, clear markings, and are significantly different from the older mines previously used in Cambodia.
Moreover, photographic and video evidence from Cambodian soldiers, found on an abandoned mobile phone, shows the handling and demonstration of PMN-2 mines along with audio in Khmer, further substantiating the allegations. Other evidence, such as photographs from Cambodian social media, also show the presence of PMN-2 mines near Ta Kwai Temple, and incidents on August 22, 2025, where Cambodian troops were found in ambush positions and several PMN-2 mines were discovered nearby.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces has stressed that ignoring or denying clear evidence of these actions undermines the honour of the military and hinders peace-building efforts in the region. They have called on the Cambodian military to honour the joint agreements and adhere to international norms by taking genuine actions, not just issuing misleading statements to the world.
The Thai military is ready to support demining efforts by providing funding, allowances, and full logistical support if Cambodia lacks the necessary budget. Thailand has shown its commitment to maintaining peace and believes that humanitarian duties must take precedence over political pressures or extreme nationalism. Thailand is also inviting Cambodia’s Mine Action Centre (CMAC) to join international efforts to clear the mines and verify the facts on the ground.
Thailand’s military reiterates that the failure to act in the face of clear evidence is detrimental to both the honour of the military and to the ongoing peace process in the region.
