Cambodia Blasts Thai Landmine Claims, Warns Against Border Breach

[geovalin]

Cambodian gvt

 

 

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has firmly rejected Thai accusations over a recent landmine blast that injured three Thai soldiers, calling the claims “baseless” and warning that further violations of its sovereignty will not be tolerated.

 

In a sharp statement issued on 20 July, the Ministry of National Defence blamed the incident — which occurred on 16 July in Preah Vihear province — on Thai soldiers entering Cambodian territory without authorisation. The ministry said the troops strayed from agreed patrol routes under the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding, despite repeated warnings about landmine contamination in the area.

 

“This was a clear violation of Cambodian sovereignty,” said ministry spokeswoman Lieutenant General Maly Socheata. “The explosion occurred inside Cambodian territory — not Thailand’s — and involved old mines left from past conflicts, not newly planted ones.”

 

Thailand had accused Cambodia of breaching the Ottawa Convention by laying new anti-personnel mines on Thai soil, a claim Phnom Penh flatly denies. Cambodian officials argue the Thai military acted recklessly and may even be using the incident as political leverage amid a power struggle between the Thai army and government.

 

Tensions escalated after Thailand’s 2nd Army Region commander, Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, threatened military retaliation — with or without government approval. Cambodia has yet to respond officially to Boonsin’s comments, though analysts warned such rhetoric could dangerously inflame the situation.

 

“Thailand’s protest is diplomatically immature,” said Chheng Kimlong of the Asian Vision Institute. “Their own army violated a bilateral agreement and then blamed Cambodia for the consequences.”

 

Kin Phea, director of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, echoed this view, calling the accusations “irrational and unfounded,” particularly given Cambodia’s long-standing demining efforts and leadership under the Ottawa Convention.

 

Both analysts suggested a more troubling possibility: that Thailand may have staged the incident to frame Cambodia. “If that is the case, it’s Thailand — not Cambodia — violating international law,” Kimlong said.

 

As border tensions simmer, Cambodia has reiterated its call for peaceful resolution via legal mechanisms such as the International Court of Justice. But it also issued a firm warning: “Not even a single millimetre of Cambodian land will be lost, regardless of the cost.”

 

-2025-07-22