PHNOM PENH: Following the incident in which a Thai soldier became the seventh to lose a leg after stepping on a landmine in the Huai Ta Maria area of Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket province, on Monday (Nov 10), the Royal Government of Cambodia issued a statement on Nov 11 denying allegations that its troops had planted new landmines along the Thai border.
The statement said the recent explosion — which injured three Thai soldiers — was caused by old mines dating back to previous conflicts.
In the statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Cambodia, the government expressed grave concern over media reports quoting Thailand’s leadership as saying that Thailand had suspended implementation of the Joint Declaration signed between the prime ministers of both countries on Oct 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, witnessed by US President Donald J. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the Asean Chair.
According to the statement, Thailand reportedly cited the Nov 10 landmine explosion in the Phnom Trop area near Preah Vihear Temple as a reason for halting implementation of the Joint Declaration and cancelling the scheduled release of 18 Cambodian soldiers still detained in Thailand.
“The Royal Government of Cambodia categorically denies the allegations by Thailand that new landmines have been laid by Cambodia at the border,” the statement read.
“It is important to note that most minefields, dating back to Cambodia’s civil wars of the 1970s and 1980s, along the Cambodia–Thailand border, have not yet been fully cleared due to difficult terrain and the undemarcated status of certain border areas.”
Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to the Joint Declaration, calling it a document widely applauded by the international community.
It also emphasised its adherence to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, stressing that Cambodia has never used new landmines and will never do so. - The Nation/ANN
