Thailand Accuses Cambodia of Violating Border After Explosion

• Three Thai soldiers were injured from an explosion near the border with Cambodia.
• Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating new border regulations following the confirmation of a regime of fire prohibition.
• Cambodia denies the accusations and emphasizes its participation in the Ottawian Convention.

Three Thai soldiers received injuries on Saturday when one of them stepped on a mine in an area that borders Cambodia, according to the Thai army. The incident occurred just two days after the countries confirmed adherence to the regime of fire prohibition for the completion of the short-term conflict.

According to the army's statement, the incident took place in Sisaket province in Thailand and "clearly demonstrates that the use of prohibited weaponry in border areas continues to be an obvious violation of the Ottawian Convention by Cambodia." The Ottawian Convention, also known as the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, is an international treaty that prohibits the use of these types of weapons, and all countries are obliged to adhere to it.

In a statement, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the incident confirmed the army's conclusion that new mines are being laid in clear violation of international law. This is already the third similar incident in less than a month.

Last month, a landmine conflict resulted in the deaths of dozens of people from both sides, including civilians, and displaced more than 260,000 individuals. Fighting began on the day after five Thai soldiers received injuries as a result of an explosion from antipersonnel mines in the disputed territory.

The regime of fire prohibition, which was established on July 29, put the country in a state of heightened alert, although tensions remained high. At a meeting in Malaysia, the two countries agreed on 13 points for the realization of their peace.

According to the Thai army's spokesperson, Saturday's landmine explosion was "significantly detrimental to the realization of peace efforts and regional stability problems." In response to this, the Cambodian service on issues of landmines and assistance to victims denied Thailand's accusations of violating new regulations.

"We have not laid and will not lay new mines," the statement from the service said, emphasizing that Cambodia is a participant in the Ottawian Convention and has a recognized reputation in the field of humanitarian assistance, not in the deployment of these prohibited types of weapons.

They also indicated that Cambodia has cleared more than one million mines and nearly three million unexploded ordnance remnants, which remain from more than thirty years of war and humanitarian crises that began in 1970. Cambodia noted that two previous explosions last month, which injured Thai soldiers, may be remnants of past conflicts.

Meanwhile, tensions between countries have increased since July of this year, when a Cambodian soldier was arrested by Thai forces during a short incident on the disputed territory. Escalation of hostilities was accompanied by restrictions on the movement of goods and services from both sides before the start of military actions.

In Saturday's incident, a Thai army sergeant-major sustained serious injuries, including the loss of a limb, while two other soldiers received minor injuries.

Tags: Politics