Three Thai soldiers were wounded on Saturday when one stepped on a landmine while patrolling near the disputed border between Thailand’s Sisaket province and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, the Thai army said. One soldier lost a foot, while two others sustained injuries; all are being treated in the hospital.
The incident comes just days after the two countries agreed to a detailed ceasefire, ending last month’s five-day border conflict — the deadliest in more than a decade — that killed at least 43 people and displaced over 300,000.
Thailand claimed the explosion occurred on its territory in an area previously cleared of mines. Its foreign ministry said it would file a complaint against Cambodia for violating the Ottawa Convention banning landmines and infringing on Thai sovereignty.
Cambodia rejected the allegation, insisting it had not planted new mines. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority said the country remained a “proud state party” to the Ottawa Convention, having cleared over one million mines from its territory, and warned that Thailand’s accusations could undermine the fragile ceasefire.
The border, first mapped by France in 1907 during its colonial rule over Cambodia, remains only partially demarcated, leaving several stretches disputed. Saturday’s blast marks the third mine-related incident involving Thai troops along the border in recent weeks. Two earlier explosions on July 16 and 23 also injured soldiers, prompting diplomatic downgrades and triggering the late-July clashes that saw artillery fire and airstrikes exchanged.
As part of the ceasefire deal, both sides agreed to allow ASEAN observers into disputed areas to monitor compliance and prevent a return to hostilities. Thailand maintains that the latest mine was newly planted, while Phnom Penh contends it was a leftover from decades-old conflicts and triggered when soldiers strayed off agreed patrol routes.
