Thai Army rejects Cambodia's denial of new landmines
The Thai Army refutes Cambodia's claims of compliance with the Ottawa Convention, confirming the discovery of new landmines within Thai territory.
Following the statement issued by Pen Bona, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office and government spokesperson of Cambodia, regarding the ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, he stated that "Cambodia continues to strictly adhere to the Ottawa Convention and denies the allegations of newly laid landmines."
Maj Gen Winthai Suwaree, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, responded on Wednesday (August 13), calling Cambodia’s claims misleading. He explained that Thai troops had encountered landmines five times between July 16 and the present, including during clashes near Ta Kwai temple, in areas that had previously been cleared by Thailand’s National Mine Action Centre (T-MAC) from 2020 to 2022, where no PMN-2 anti-personnel mines had been detected before.
Between July 15 and August 12, the Thai Army reported discovering 41 PMN-2 mines in new, ready-to-use condition within Thai sovereign territory, including at sites where Thai soldiers were injured. These findings suggest that Cambodia continues to use landmines to threaten Thai forces.
The Army spokesperson further stated that the mines represent deliberate attempts to harm Thai personnel, citing photographic evidence of Cambodian soldiers holding clusters of PMN-2 mines near Ta Kwai temple. Such actions, he added, violate international law, the Ottawa Convention, and international humanitarian law.
On the issue of troop movements raised by Cambodia, the Thai Army confirmed that there have been no additional Thai military deployments and that all operations are strictly within Thai territory. Cambodia, however, is accused of violating the ceasefire by secretly planting landmines inside Thailand, causing severe injuries to Thai soldiers and spreading false information.
The spokesperson emphasized that if Cambodia were truly committed to resolving the landmine issue, it would engage constructively with Thailand’s proposals for joint mine-clearing efforts discussed at previous GBC meetings.
He also warned that Cambodia’s false claims regarding landmine deployment could damage its international reputation, particularly among other signatories of the Ottawa Convention. Cambodia receives substantial international funding each year for mine clearance but has allegedly misused these resources for military purposes.
Thailand has called on donor countries supporting Cambodia’s mine-clearing initiatives to investigate these reports, particularly the claims that Cambodia is using landmines as weapons against Thai personnel, an act that undermines both international law and the Ottawa Convention.
