Calitoday (12/8/2025): A Thai soldier was wounded by a landmine near the Cambodian border on Tuesday, the Thai military reported, just days after the two Southeast Asian neighbors agreed to a ceasefire following a deadly five-day conflict last month.
In a statement, the military said the soldier sustained a severe injury to his left ankle when he stepped on a landmine while on a routine patrol. The incident occurred approximately 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the Ta Moan Thom temple in Thailand's Surin province. The soldier is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
Thai military spokesman, Major General Winthai Suvaree, stated that the incident is clear evidence of Cambodia's violation of the ceasefire agreement and international accords such as the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel mines.
This marks the fourth time in recent weeks that Thai soldiers have been injured by landmines during border patrols. On Saturday, three soldiers were wounded by a landmine in the area between Thailand's Sisaket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province. Two earlier incidents had led to a downgrade in diplomatic relations and sparked clashes.
Bangkok has accused Cambodia of planting mines on the Thai side of the disputed border, which resulted in soldiers being wounded on July 16 and July 23.
Phnom Penh denies planting any new mines, asserting that the soldiers had strayed from agreed-upon routes and triggered old mines left over from decades of war. On Saturday, Phnom Penh declared itself a "proud state party" to the Ottawa Convention.
For decades, Thailand and Cambodia have been in disputes over un-demarcated sections of their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border. The ownership of the ancient Hindu temples of Ta Moan Thom and the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple are central to these conflicts.
The most recent clashes, which began on July 24, represented the worst fighting between the two nations in over a decade. The conflict involved artillery duels and jet sorties, resulting in at least 43 fatalities and the displacement of over 300,000 people on both sides.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since last week when Thailand and Cambodia agreed to allow observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to inspect the disputed border areas, providing an assurance that hostilities would not resume.
