The Thai Mine Action Center (TMAC) condemns Cambodia for planting anti-personnel mines with the intent to continuously target Thai soldiers, clearly demonstrating deliberate disregard for peace agreements and explicit acts of intimidation and territorial incursions against Thailand.
On 26 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Colonel Siwa Whang-akat, spokesperson for the National Mine Action Center, stated that on 25 Dec, soldiers stepped on an anti-personnel mine during a demining operation near Prasat Ta Kwai, Bak Dai Subdistrict, Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province. The incident involved personnel from Ch. Battalion 6, 6th Infantry Division, supporting a mine-clearing mission, resulting in three injuries, including one severe case with a lost left foot. This marked the ninth serious incident.
Further examination of areas near the incident by the bomb disposal unit uncovered four additional PMN-2 anti-personnel mines laid consecutively along troop movement paths, only about 30 centimeters from the original site. This deliberate placement indicates clear intent to cause harm to personnel and civilians passing through, violating international humanitarian principles by indiscriminately threatening human life.
The National Mine Action Center asserts that Cambodia’s actions provide clear evidence that the Cambodian side continues to use anti-personnel mines persistently and with coordinated planning. Thai forces have seized numerous PMN-2 mines, anti-tank mines, as well as instructional materials detailing mine-laying techniques, including GPS coordinates and deployment patterns used by Cambodia.
These actions also reflect Cambodia’s behavior aimed at threatening Thailand and encroaching on Thai territory, constituting serious violations of international obligations under the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, to which both Thailand and Cambodia are parties. Cambodia cannot deny responsibility. Furthermore, this clearly shows Cambodia’s intentional failure to comply with peace agreements made in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, regarding joint mine clearance efforts.
The National Mine Action Center strongly condemns these actions, emphasizing that the use of anti-personnel mines is unacceptable worldwide. It also signals a lack of sincerity in resolving bilateral conflicts and undermines regional peace efforts. Additionally, it damages confidence in Cambodia’s commitments to the international community, both bilaterally and multilaterally.