Thailand’s armed forces chief said Monday he was “suspension of all agreements” with Cambodia following a landmine explosion along the border between the two countries that maimed a Thai soldier, escalating tensions between the neighbors who clashed in July.
US President Donald Trump helped broker a peace agreement between the two Southeast Asian countries, after a five-day border conflict. The two sides signed an expanded truce in Malaysia last month in his presence.
“The Thai military is halting all agreements so that Cambodia can show its clear sincerity that it will not be hostile,” the Thai Armed Forces quoted Thai Supreme Commander General Okris Puntanunda as saying in social media posts.
The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” about the possibility of Thailand suspending the agreement, which includes the removal of heavy weapons from the border area and the release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war held by Thailand, if all measures are implemented.
Four Thai soldiers were injured when a PMN-2 landmine exploded early Monday during a patrol in Thailand’s Sisaket province, with one of them losing his right foot, the Thai military said in a statement, adding that three additional mines were found near the site of the explosion.
She added: “Based on the available evidence, it can be concluded that the landmine was infiltrated by removing barbed wire and was recently planted on Thai territory.”
The Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s statement denied the accusations against it of planting new mines.
Hours after the incident, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Chanvirakul told reporters that “everything must stop until there is clarity,” referring to the agreement with Cambodia. He did not explain that.
Landmine explosions along disputed border areas that injured Thai soldiers were among the catalysts for fighting in July, with Bangkok accusing Cambodia of planting munitions – an accusation Phnom Penh denies.
Reuters reported that the mines that sparked the clash between Thailand and Cambodia earlier this year were likely newly laid, based on expert analysis of material shared by the Thai military.
The two sides blame each other for starting a five-day exchange of missiles and heavy artillery, killing at least 48 people and temporarily displacing an estimated 300,000 in their worst fighting in modern history.
(Tags for translation) Thai-Cambodian conflict
