BANGKOK: Thailand’s army warned that it may have to “exercise the right of self-defense” in response to continuing incidents it blames on Cambodia, in which Thai soldiers patrolling along the two countries’ border have been wounded by land mines.
A statement from Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said a sergeant was patrolling the border with seven other soldiers Tuesday morning when he “stepped on an anti-personnel land mine covertly planted by the Cambodian side, resulting in severe injuries to his left ankle.”
The incident and the Thai reaction indicates the precariousness of the ceasefire that took effect on July 29 with the aim of ending five days of armed clashes over disputed territory along their border. The fighting killed dozens of people on both sides, including civilians, and displaced more than 260,000.
Tuesday’s land mine incident was the fourth of its kind in about a month, and the second since the ceasefire. It took place about 1 kilometer from Ta Muen Thom temple, which Thailand claims is located in its Surin province.
The area, which was the scene of heavy fighting in July, is one of several along the border that both countries claim as their own.
In another disputed area Saturday, a Thai sergeant major suffered severe injuries, including losing his left foot, while two privates suffered lesser injuries.
“This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement and shows no respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use and placement of all types of anti-personnel land mines,” said the Thai army statement about the latest incident. Both countries are parties to the international agreement.
The statement noted the multiple similar incidents and declared that Thailand “has consistently adhered to peaceful approaches and has not been the initiating party.”
“However, should circumstances become compelling, it may be necessary to exercise the right of self-defense under international law principles to resolve situations that cause Thailand to continuously lose personnel due to violations of ceasefire agreements and sovereignty encroachments by Cambodian military forces,” it warned.
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry “categorically and unequivocally rejects the baseless, false, and deliberately misleading allegations from the Thai side regarding the injuries of Thai soldiers,” said its spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.
“Cambodia, as a proud and responsible State Party to the Ottawa Convention, maintains an absolute and uncompromising position: we have never used, produced, or deployed new land mines under any circumstances, and we strictly and fully honor our obligations under international law,” she said, echoing previous official denials.
Ly Thuch, senior minister and first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, noted that Cambodia has cleared more than 1 million mines and nearly 3 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from more than three decades of war and civil unrest that began in 1970, according to an interview with the Cambodian state news agency AKP.
Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer border. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.
