Bangkok: Thailand’s army warned that it may have to “exercise the right of self-defence” 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 landmine 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 kilometre 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 landmines,” said the Thai army statement.