Thai soldiers have stepped on landmines along the Cambodia border over 11 times during 2025-2026. Most recently, today (17 Aug 2026), a bomb disposal unit member was injured near Chong An Ma, Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani province. A source noted that the rainy season may cause old buried mines to shift along water routes into risky spots, reflecting the grave danger posed by leftover deadly mines ready to claim innocent lives at any moment.
According to data collected by the Thairath Online special team, since 2025, Thai soldiers have stepped on landmines 11 times, each incident involving PMN-2 anti-personnel mines. Soldiers stepping on these mines have lost one leg, with injuries ranging from the sole of the foot up to the shin. Additionally, others have been wounded by shrapnel. All incidents occurred along the Thailand-Cambodia border, former conflict zones with unexploded mines awaiting clearance.
Most recently, on 17 Aug 2026, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the Royal Thai Armed Forces entered an operation near Chong An Ma, Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani, covering approximately 153,920 square meters. Before the incident, the team had cleared part of the area, securing about 38,387.60 square meters, or roughly 25.51% of the site.
Sergeant Major Chanarong Wongsana, a technical surveyor with EOD Task Force 1, conducted a survey of the area. He detected a line of mines and began inspecting the surroundings to define the hazardous zone. During the operation, he stepped on a PMN-2 mine, triggering an explosion that injured his lower right leg below the knee and caused severe shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He remained conscious at the time of injury.
Thairath Online’s special team spoke with a source working along the Thailand-Cambodia border who analyzed the latest mine incident. The source suggested the event likely did not result from newly placed mines but rather from old mines naturally shifting due to rainy season factors.
Specifically, heavy rain causes water runoff and landslides. Flooding and soil erosion on hills or mountains can dislodge mines buried elsewhere, causing them to accumulate in valley paths that are commonly patrolled.
As mines flow down along water channels, soil and mud cover them repeatedly, making them invisible to the naked eye—even on routes previously patrolled frequently without incident.
Mines moved by rainwater rarely detonate while in transit because the impact force is insufficient. The mine’s mechanism requires a vertical pressure of about 7–8 kilograms to activate.
The incident area at Chong An Ma is a steep mountainous strategic zone. Mine clearance operations in such terrain are highly challenging.
One problem during detection is that mine detection equipment may lack regular calibration or sufficient accuracy, leading to failures in detecting buried mines.
There is a need to develop more precise detection technology and to thoroughly verify equipment readiness before deployment.