The Cambodian government says a recent landmine explosion on the border would not have occurred if Thai forces had fully respected a ceasefire agreement.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona told reporters on August 14 that Thai troops had moved into Cambodian territory in violation of the agreement, stepping on mines left over from past conflicts. He accused Thailand of using the incident to portray itself as a victim and mislead the international community.
Pen Bona urged Thailand to honour the ceasefire that took effect on July 28, following talks in Malaysia. He said the deployment of tyre barricades, the use of barbed wire, and the movement of weapons by Thai troops into Cambodian territory were clear violations of points two and four of the agreement reached at the Extraordinary General Border Committee meeting.
Thailand’s government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsab told The Nation newspaper that Bangkok had formally accused Cambodia of concealing anti-personnel mines along the border, calling it a serious breach of international law and humanitarian principles. He said Thailand was notifying the international community of what it claimed were Cambodian violations of the Ottawa Convention on landmines.
Jirayu Huangsab added that Thailand would host a visit on August 16 for diplomats from countries that are signatories to the Ottawa Convention to the provinces of Ubon Ratchathani and Sisaket to gather evidence of the mines.
On August 13, Cambodian Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Maly Socheata also called on Thailand to respect both the terms and the spirit of the ceasefire and the General Border Committee agreements. She said both sides had agreed to keep their troops in their current positions as of midnight on July 28, when the ceasefire came into effect.
Maly Socheata said Cambodia had repeatedly reminded Thailand that the area around Ta Moan Temple and other parts of the border still contained mines left from wartime. She stressed Cambodia had not used and would not use new anti-personnel mines. Cambodia joined the Ottawa Convention in 1999 and has been recognised internationally for its mine clearance efforts and for not deploying such weapons.
She added that there had been no formal and transparent investigation to confirm the facts surrounding the most recent case in which soldiers were reportedly injured by a mine near Ta Moan Thom Temple.
