BANGKOK, Thailand (BN24) — Three Thai soldiers were injured Saturday by a landmine explosion while patrolling a disputed border area near Cambodia, underscoring the fragile nature of a ceasefire reached just days earlier between the Southeast Asian neighbours following their worst conflict in over a decade.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces confirmed the soldiers were on patrol between Thailand’s Sisaket province and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear when one stepped on a mine, detonating the device. One soldier lost a foot, another suffered serious leg and arm injuries, and a third sustained ear trauma from the blast’s pressure.
There was no immediate response from Cambodia’s defense ministry regarding the incident.
The explosion is the third such mine-related injury to Thai forces in recent weeks and comes amid escalating tensions despite a recently signed ceasefire. Similar incidents on July 16 and July 23, which Thai officials blame on landmines planted by Cambodian forces, led to a sharp downturn in diplomatic relations and triggered five days of armed conflict that resulted in at least 43 deaths.
From July 24 to July 28, Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged artillery fire, engaged in infantry skirmishes, and launched air strikes in what became the bloodiest border confrontation between the two countries in more than 10 years. The fighting only ceased after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, warning both governments that future trade agreements would be suspended if hostilities continued.
On Thursday, military officials from both countries concluded a tense round of talks in Kuala Lumpur, where they agreed to extend the ceasefire and allow monitors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to observe the border and help prevent further clashes.
Thai authorities maintain that Cambodia recently planted new landmines on Thai territory, a charge Phnom Penh denies. Cambodian officials insist no new mines have been laid and that Thai patrols may have strayed from designated routes into areas contaminated with mines left over from Cambodia’s decades-long internal conflicts.
The border region, particularly around the Preah Vihear temple complex, has long been a flashpoint in Thai-Cambodian relations, with sovereignty disputes inflaming nationalist sentiment on both sides.
Saturday’s incident casts a shadow over hopes that the ceasefire agreement and ASEAN involvement would stabilize the area. It also raises concerns over the lasting danger posed by unexploded ordnance and the risk of renewed violence.
As border patrols continue and diplomatic tensions simmer, regional observers warn that maintaining peace will require not only restraint on the ground but renewed political commitment to resolving long-standing territorial disputes through dialogue.
Credit: BBC
