Landmine dispute escalates tensions between Thailand and Cambodia

TimesLIVE

5 days ago

The country is littered with landmines laid during decades of war.
'The Royal Government of Cambodia categorically denies the baseless and unfounded allegations,' the ministry said.
It added the country was fully committed to the Ottawa Convention, an international agreement banning anti-personnel landmines.
On Monday, the Thai army said 10 freshly laid Russian-made PMN-2 type landmines, which are not used or stockpiled by Thailand, were found between July 18 and 20 in areas near where the soldiers were injured.
'This is a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Thailand and an outright breach of principles that are fundamental to international law,' Maratee Nalita Andamo, deputy spokesperson for the Thai foreign ministry, said on Monday in Bangkok.
Figures from the Cambodia Mine Action Centre, which estimates there are four to six million landmines scattered across the country, show five people were killed and a dozen injured by mines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia in the first four months of 2025. The area where the Thai soldiers were injured is near where a Cambodian soldier was killed in May after a brief exchange of gunfire between troops on the two sides.
The shooting has since flared into a broader diplomatic dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours that has destabilised the Thai government and seen the prime minister suspended from office.
Thailand said it will issue a formal condemnation and call for accountability from Cambodia for breaching the landmine treaty, and the army will increase vigilance during border patrols.
Cambodia said the landmine incident showed the need for the two countries to settle the border dispute at the International Court of Justice.
Bangkok has previously said it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction on the issue and prefers to settle the dispute through bilateral mechanisms.