Three Thai soldiers have been injured by a landmine while patrolling the border with Cambodia, according to the army. This incident occurred days after the two neighbors agreed to a detailed ceasefire following a violent five-day conflict last month. The soldiers were patrolling an area between Thailand’s Sisaket and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear provinces on Saturday morning when one of them stepped on a landmine.
One soldier lost a foot, while the other two sustained injuries. The military reported that one soldier suffered a severe leg injury, another was wounded in the back and arm, and the third had extreme pressure damage to the ear. The incident took place within Thai territory in an area recently cleared of landmines, Thailand said, adding that it would lodge a complaint against Cambodia for violating a treaty that bans the use of landmines and for infringing Thai sovereignty
Cambodia’s defence ministry said it “has yet to receive clear confirmation from Cambodian frontline forces concerning the explosion,” adding that its army has been strictly respecting the spirit of the ceasefire. This is the third incident in a few weeks in which Thai soldiers have been injured by mines while patrolling along the border. Two previous similar incidents led to the downgrading of diplomatic relations and triggered five days of fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors.
The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has a long history, with both countries quarreling over undemarcated parts of their 817 km land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907. The recent clashes, which began on July 24 and lasted for five days, resulted in at least 43 deaths and over 300,000 displaced people on both sides. The exchanges of artillery fire, infantry battles, and jet fighter sorties halted with a ceasefire on July 28 after United States President Donald Trump warned both sides that he would not conclude trade deals with them if fighting continued.
A meeting of defence officials in Kuala Lumpur ended on Thursday with a deal to extend the ceasefire, and the two sides also agreed to allow observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to inspect disputed border areas to ensure hostilities do not resume. Bangkok accused Cambodia of planting landmines on the Thai side of the disputed border that injured soldiers on July 16 and July 23. Phnom Penh denied it had placed any new mines and said the soldiers had veered off agreed routes and triggered old landmines left from its decades of war.