Thai army challenges Cambodian denial over landmines, urges compliance with ceasefire and Ottawa Convention
Thai army presents evidence Cambodia still holds and uses PMN-2 landmines, calls for adherence to ceasefire and Ottawa Convention obligations.
Royal Thai Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suwaree has rebutted claims by Lt Gen Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Cambodian Defence Ministry, that Cambodia neither possesses nor uses landmines.
He stated that a thorough Thai investigation confirmed that the landmine involved in the recent incident—where a Thai soldier stepped on a mine near the Ta Muen Thom Temple—was a PMN-2 type. This is the same model found in several locations, repeatedly planted by Cambodian forces to target Thai personnel.
Cambodia’s claim that the area still contains remnants of old war-era explosives was dismissed as lacking credibility. According to Winthai, at every incident site, an additional 3-5 PMN-2 landmines were discovered nearby, all clearly newly planted. If they were old war remnants, they would be of other types, not the PMN-2 model.
“The Thai side calls on Cambodia to stop spreading false information to the public when there is clear evidence to the contrary. This is for fairness to news audiences and to avoid violating the ceasefire agreement under item 9 of the Thai–Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) resolution of 7 August 2025, which prohibits the dissemination of false or fake news,” Winthai said.
He further urged Cambodia to strictly honour the spirit of the ceasefire agreement and to end its use of anti-personnel landmines against Thai forces. Such actions not only violate the ceasefire but also constitute a clear breach of the Ottawa Convention.
Winthai stated that Cambodia still possesses a significant stockpile of landmines, which it has repeatedly planted along the Thai–Cambodian border with the intention of harming Thai forces. This is despite Cambodia being a state party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention), having ratified it in 1999, yet continuing to use such mines in multiple past incidents.
The Royal Thai Army reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the matter peacefully, in accordance with international law, the UN Charter, and global conventions.
