logo
Thai govt targets Cambodia's landmine claims

Thai govt targets Cambodia's landmine claims

Bangkok Post4 days ago
The government is expected on Monday to finalise retaliatory responses to a recent landmine explosion in the Chong Bok border area of Ubon Ratchathani, near Cambodia, which left three Thai soldiers injured.
Members of the government's ad hoc centre for the Thailand-Cambodia border, which includes officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various national security agencies, will meet at the National Security Council office today to formalise an official response, said R Admiral Surasan Kongsiri, its spokesman, on Sunday.
The centre on Sunday held a closed-door meeting to discuss an initial course of action based on findings from the Second Army Region, which confirmed the explosion came from a newly planted landmine, he said.
The landmines issue was yesterday subject to a heated back and forth between the Cambodia Mine Action Centre and the Thai army.
Heng Ratana, director-general of the Cambodia Mine Action Centre, in an article by the Phnom Penh Post, dismissed speculation the mine had been planted by Cambodia. In the article, he referred to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention), which was ratified by Cambodia.
"As for possible newly laid mines in Thailand, there have been a number of social media claims that the Thai military placed them," he said, as quoted by the newspaper.
"There appears to be no proof that Thai authorities or demining NGOs have attempted to conduct a thorough investigation," he added.
In response, Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army (RTA), rejected the remarks by Heng Ratana, describing the claims as false, misleading and damaging to bilateral relations.
Mr Heng Ratana also claimed to have photo and video evidence suggesting Thai troops had laid new landmines near the border, Maj Gen Winthai said.
The landmines discovered near the Chong Bok border area and other locations were identified as PMN-2 anti-personnel mines manufactured in Russia, which the Thai army has never possessed, procured nor used in any military operations, especially in border areas, he said.
The images and video clips, which were published by Cambodia's Fresh News outlet, he said, actually originated from training or clearance operations conducted by Thailand's Humanitarian Mine Action Center, not from active mine deployment.
"The presentation of such information constitutes a distortion of facts and causes serious damage to Thailand," said Maj Gen Winthai.
Mr Heng Ratana's claim the landmines were found on Thai territory, which therefore placed responsibility on Thailand under Article 5 of the 1997 Ottawa Convention -- which says a sovereign state is responsible for mine clearance within its territory -- only reinforces the fact that the mines were located within Thailand's sovereign domain, said the RTA spokesman.
This, in turn, suggests an act of cross-border intrusion, with landmines being secretly planted on Thai soil, said Maj Gen Winthai, who also pointed out inconsistencies in Cambodia's own official statements.
Lt Gen Malis Sophat, spokesman for Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense, said a Thai soldier had stepped on a landmine inside Cambodian territory, which directly contradicts Mr Heng Ratana's assertion the mines were found within Thailand and were therefore the responsibility of Thai forces, according to Maj Gen Winthai.
"The conflicting statements made by Cambodian officials reflect inconsistencies in their narrative and suggest a failed attempt to distort the facts, ultimately forcing them to backtrack on their own claims," said Maj Gen Winthai.
He said Thailand strictly adheres to international humanitarian law and called on Cambodia to immediately cease spreading disinformation.
"This could strain diplomatic relations and mislead the international community," he warned.
In another development, members of the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand, the Dharma Army and the People's Centre for the Protection of the Monarchy, yesterday marched from their rally site at Chamai Maruchet Bridge to the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, protesting against Wednesday's landmine incident.
At the embassy, protesters delivered speeches from a loudspeaker truck, waved Thai national flags and condemned Cambodia over what they believed to be the planting of new landmines.
The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the military, is currently considering filing a formal complaint with the United Nations over Cambodia's alleged violation of the Ottawa Convention, said Danuporn Punnakanta, spokesman for the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
This step is part of the ongoing process, with Thai authorities affirming that the landmines were newly planted by the other party, said the party spokesman.
He added, however, that the government remains committed to resolving the border conflict through peaceful means in pursuit of lasting peace.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Thailand-Cambodia border clashes won't become war: Phumtham
Thailand-Cambodia border clashes won't become war: Phumtham

Bangkok Post

timean hour ago

  • Bangkok Post

Thailand-Cambodia border clashes won't become war: Phumtham

Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai voiced confidence on Friday that the ongoing armed clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border would not escalate into a full-blown war between the two countries Mr Phumtham said the current incidents had not reached a level that warranted concern over a wider conflict. 'What we are seeing now are armed skirmishes, not war,' he said after chairing a meeting of the Ad Hoc Centre for the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation. The deputy prime minister, who is overseeing security affairs, is acting as government leader following the suspension of Paetongtarn Shinawatra from the premiership. He said Thailand remained willing to hold talks with Cambodia to bring an end to the cross-border exchange of gunfire and artillery, but insisted that any dialogue must be preceded by a halt to Cambodian military operations, which he said had triggered the confrontation. The clashes have so far been confined to four northeastern provinces: Buri Ram, Si Sa Ket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani — all under the responsibility of the Second Army Region. Mr Phumtham said Thai security agencies were working to prevent the conflict from spreading beyond these areas and to keep the situation under control. The Thai-Cambodian border also stretches through Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi and Trat. Sa Kaeo falls under the jurisdiction of the First Army Region, while the Royal Thai Navy oversees border security in Chanthaburi and Trat.

Cambodian attacks kill 12 Thais
Cambodian attacks kill 12 Thais

Bangkok Post

time2 hours ago

  • Bangkok Post

Cambodian attacks kill 12 Thais

The number of fatalities from Cambodia's attacks on Thai civilian areas has risen to 12, including an eight-year-old boy, with over 30 injuries, according to the Thai army. Thai authorities confirmed that civilian zones were hit by supporting fire, resulting in fatalities, injuries and property damage after Cambodian forces launched artillery strikes into Thai territory following a morning assault on a Thai military base near the Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin province. The affected areas included: Surin: Two civilians killed, including an eight-year-old boy; four civilians injured; five soldiers wounded. Ubon Ratchathani: One civilian killed; four seriously injured. Si Sa Ket: Eight civilians killed, including a 15-year-old; 15 civilians injured; one soldier killed, two wounded. Buri Ram: One civilian injured. The army said it will protect Thailand's sovereignty and its citizens, stating it is prepared to take all necessary military measures. In Surin's Kap Choeng district, two people were killed - a 12-year-old child and an adult - and two injured when BM-21 rockets fired from Cambodia struck their village in the morning. Evacuations of up to 40,000 residents to emergency shelters were under way. Authorities were evacuating people from 86 villages to emergency shelters at schools in the neighbouring Prasat district, Surin. Patients in Kap Choeng were being evacuated from Phanom Dong Rak and Kap Choeng hospitals after rockets fell near the Ta Muen temple ruins. Further casualty reports were not immediately available. In Si Sa Ket, two people were reported killed and many other civilians hurt when Cambodian rockets fell into a supermarket at a petrol station in Ban Phue.

Five Thai districts bordering Cambodia deemed unsafe
Five Thai districts bordering Cambodia deemed unsafe

Bangkok Post

time3 hours ago

  • Bangkok Post

Five Thai districts bordering Cambodia deemed unsafe

Areas up to 40 kilometres inland from the border in five districts in Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani provinces are considered risky as they fall into the firing ranges of rockets deployed by Cambodian forces, the Royal Thai Army said on Friday. The Second Army Region said on Friday that Phu Sing, Khun Han and Kantharalak districts in Si Sa Ket province and Nam Yuen and Nam Khun districts in Ubon Ratchathani province were not safe due to the range of rocket launchers used in continued armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. Cambodia's BM-21 multiple rocket launchers have a firing range of 20 kilometres, while Type-90B of the PHL-81, another more formidable rocket launcher, possesses a maximum operational distance of 40 kilometres, it added. The army renewed a warning to people living in the range of the Cambodian weapons to immediately evacuate for safety. Thailand has already moved about 130,000 residents living along the border in Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani provinces to shelters for safety. The Second Army Region did not explain why only five districts in the two provinces were at risk. Thailand has two more provinces in the northeastern region bordering Cambodia – Buri Ram and Surin. The exchanges of gunfire and artillery on Thursday took place in all four provinces. The warning was issued amid fresh armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in at least three locations starting before dawn on Friday. They were areas near Chong Bok in Ubon Ratchathani's Nam Yuen district and Phu Makhua in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district. Kantharalak is one of the border districts suffering the most from the fighting. One of the most shocking scenes was at a PTT petrol station at Ban Phue, which was heavily damaged by a BM-21 rocket on Thursday, killing eight civilians and injuring 13 others, most of them in a 7-11 convenience store on the premises. The Second Army Region said soldiers and Border Patrol Police in charge of explosive ordnance disposal had safely collected all pieces of exploded devices, and rescue volunteers had removed the bodies of people trapped in the debris.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store