Cambodia has dismissed accusations from Thailand that its troops secretly planted new landmines along the border in violation of the Ottawa Treaty. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre, or CMAC, described the claims as unfounded and politically motivated.
Speaking at a press conference on August 18, 2025, CMAC First Vice President Ly Thuch said the area where Thai soldiers were reportedly injured was a former battlefield dating back to the Vietnam War and Cambodia’s internal conflict between government forces and the Khmer Rouge from 1979 to 1996.
Ly Thuch stressed that as a country deeply scarred by decades of landmines, Cambodia regards mines as an enemy of the nation and its people. He said Cambodia already has more than enough mines on its soil and has no need to plant new ones, adding that the country is now a global leader in mine clearance.
The Cambodian side expressed regret that Thailand had raised the issue in a way that it said amounted to armed provocation and a violation of Cambodian sovereignty. Ly Thuch also suggested Thai soldiers were injured because they had crossed into Cambodian territory.
On August 17, the Bangkok Post reported that Thailand brought diplomats from 33 countries to Sisaket province to observe demining operations and to view mines which the Thai army alleged had recently been planted by Cambodia. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa has also contacted the United Nations Secretary General and Japan’s Foreign Minister, who chairs the Ottawa Treaty, urging an international investigation.
On the same day, CMAC Director General Heng Ratana rejected the Thai presentation, saying that the PMN-2 mines shown to foreign diplomats still had their safety pins attached. He explained that mines laid in the ground for detonation would have their safety devices removed, meaning the examples presented could not have come from the soil as claimed.
CMAC told reporters that Cambodia still has more than 700 kilometres of mine-affected land along its border with Thailand. Many of these areas remain uncleared because they lie inside disputed border zones. Despite three decades of clearance efforts, Cambodia has so far destroyed more than one million landmines.
The Cambodian side insists the mines that remain are remnants of past conflicts, particularly in territory once controlled by the Khmer Rouge. It has also called on Thailand to dismantle border fencing, which Thailand claims was erected to prevent Cambodians from settling inside Thai territory.
Diplomats and technical experts from the 33 countries visiting the border were informed that they could distinguish between old mines and newly planted devices, and that the mines on display were of Soviet manufacture. Cambodian officials accused some Thai media of reporting without evidence.
According to The Nation newspaper, Thai authorities presented what they said was proof of Cambodian troop movements and mine-laying. The evidence reportedly included photographs and video said to show Cambodian soldiers relocating PMN-2 mines near several temple sites along the frontier. Thai officials also claimed Cambodia refused to cooperate on joint demining efforts in border areas.
This latest dispute comes against a backdrop of long-running tensions between the two neighbours over territorial claims and historic battlefields, where landmines continue to pose a deadly risk to soldiers and civilians alike.
