Thailand has accused Cambodia of planting anti-personnel mines on Thai territory near the Thai-Cambodian border, according to a statement published on the Thai Foreign Ministry’s website.
On July 16, in the Chong Bok area of Ubon Ratchathani province, three soldiers from Thailand’s 6021st Infantry Company, while conducting a routine patrol along a designated route, stepped on a mine. The investigation showed that these were anti-personnel mines that had not been used or stored in the kingdom and had been laid recently.
“The assessments and accompanying evidence found by the competent security authorities indicate that the laying of these mines was a gross violation of international law. The Government of the Kingdom of Thailand condemns the use of anti-personnel mines in the strongest terms,” the statement said.
Thailand also called on Cambodia to co-operate in demining along the border in accordance with the bilateral agreement between the two governments.
The mine explosion has been a catalyst for inciting hostility on social media. Many Thai internet users are calling for a military invasion of Cambodia, demanding that the neighbouring country be punished. The Cambodian side claims that the mine either does not belong to it or is old, which, in its opinion, may indicate an invasion of Cambodian territory by Thai soldiers. The Thai army, in turn, insists that most of the mines in the Chong Bok area were recently planted and were on the Thai side of the border.
The situation is exacerbated by mutual animosity spread through social media. Some Cambodian users reportedly expressed joy over the mine incident. Moreover, after the death of Cambodian Deputy Defence Minister General Sok Peap, who was undergoing cancer treatment in Thailand, Thai ultra-nationalists posted gloating messages on the internet.
Despite formal intergovernmental relations, relations between some Thais and Cambodians have reached a record low in recent decades. Open access to social media allows users to spread hatred and offensive statements against each other around the clock. The conflict, which has been going on for almost two months, has led observers to believe that an entire generation of Thais and Cambodians has been steeped in mutual hatred and hostility.
On May 28, in a mutually agreed neutral zone on the disputed border between Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, a military clash broke out between soldiers from the two countries’ ground forces. The clash lasted ten minutes, resulting in the death of one Cambodian soldier.
