Thailand reports that a landmine near Cambodia has wounded another soldier
The Thai army said that a landmine near the Cambodian border on Tuesday wounded a Thai soldier, only days after the neighbors in Southeast Asia reached a ceasefire after a deadly five-day fighting last month.
While patrolling along a regular border path approximately 1 km (half a mile) from the Ta Moan Thom temple in Thailand’s Surin province, the soldier tripped on a mine and suffered significant injuries to his left ankle, according to a statement from the army.
The hospital is treating the soldier, it stated.
According to the statement from Thai army spokesman Major-General Winthai Suvaree, the occurrence is unmistakable proof that Cambodia has broken international accords including the Ottawa Convention against landmines and the ceasefire.
The Thai army has continuously followed peaceful methods and has not been the driving force behind Cambodia’s continued clandestine landmine planting, the statement stated.
“Should circumstances become compelling, it may be necessary to exercise the right of self-defence under international law principles to resolve situations that cause Thailand to continuously lose personnel due to violations of ceasefire agreements and sovereignty encroachments by Cambodian military forces,” the army stated.
Thailand’s charges were denied by Cambodia.
“Cambodia, as a proud and responsible State Party to the Ottawa Convention, maintains an absolute and uncompromising position: we have never used, produced, or deployed new landmines under any circumstances, and we strictly and fully honour our obligations under international law,” the spokesperson for the defense ministry wrote on social networks.
Thai soldiers were hurt by mines during border patrols for the fourth time in a handful of weeks. A landmine on Saturday wounded three soldiers in a region between the provinces of Sisaket in Thailand and Preah Vihear in Cambodia.
The fights started after diplomatic relations were downgraded due to two previous occurrences.
Landmines that wounded soldiers on July 16 and July 23 were planted by Cambodia on the Thai side of the disputed border, according to Bangkok.
For decades, Thailand and Cambodia have been at odds over unmarked areas along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land boundary. At the heart of the conflicts are ownership of the 11th-century Preah Vihear and the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom.
At least 43 people were killed and over 300,000 were displaced on both sides in the most recent skirmishes, which began on July 24 and involved artillery fire and jet fighter missions. These conflicts were the heaviest combat between the two nations in almost ten years.
Since Thailand and Cambodia agreed last week to permit Association of Southeast Asian Nations observers to examine disputed border areas in order to prevent hostilities from resuming, the tenuous ceasefire has remained in place.
