Three Thai soldiers have been wounded after one stepped on a landmine in territory along the border with Cambodia, the Thai army announced on Saturday.
The incident comes just days after the two countries agreed to extend the ceasefire that ended a brief armed conflict, which were their deadliest clashes in decades.
One soldier suffered a severe leg injury, another was wounded in the back and arm, and the third experienced extreme pressure damage to the ear during the incident in northeastern Thailand’s Sisaket province.
“It clearly demonstrates to both domestic and international society that the use of concealed weapons in border areas continues to exist, constituting a clear violation of the Ottawa Convention by the Cambodian side,” the army’s statement said.
How have Thailand and Cambodia reacted?
After Saturday’s blast, the Thai army statement, citing its spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree, said that Saturday’s mine explosion constituted “a significant obstacle to the implementation of ceasefire measures and peaceful resolution of problems.”
The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, a government body, issued a statement denying that any new mines had been laid.
“We have not, and will not, plant new land mines,” said the statement, noting that Cambodia is a party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty Convention, “and has an internationally recognized record of removing, not deploying, these indiscriminate weapons.”
It 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.
What happened during the recent Thai-Cambodia conflict?
A five-day conflict between Thailand and Cambodia killed at least 43 people in a flare-up of a long-running dispute over ancient border temples.
The clashes, involving jets, artillery, rockets and infantry battles, ended on July 29 with a ceasefire, after cajoling by US President Donald Trump.
A meeting of defense officials in Kuala Lumpur finished on Thursday with a deal to extend the ceasefire.
Tensions had simmered since May this year when a Cambodian soldier was shot dead by Thai troops in a brief fracas in another contested border area.
The escalating dispute was marked by border crossing restrictions and cross-border boycotts along with bans of goods and services before fighting broke out.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/three-thai-soldiers-injured-by-landmine-on-cambodian-border/a-73585330
