US EditionLandmines that sparked Thai-Cambodia clash were likely newly-laid, experts say
- On July 16, a Thai patrol near the disputed border hit a landmine that severed a soldier's ankle and catalysed five days of hostilities, sparking a diplomatic row over PMN-2 mines that Thailand says maimed at least six soldiers since July.
- Allegations of fresh mine-laying come against a backdrop of long-running demining commitments as donors invested US$1 billion alongside Phnom Penh, which advocates against landmines.
- Thailand's military provided photos and videos from frontier demining operations, which Reuters verified by metadata dated Jul 18–23, and four independent landmine experts said the images showed freshly laid PMN-2s while the CMAA called for a neutral probe.
- The clash led to five days of fighting that concluded with a US-brokered ceasefire after a Jul 23 border blast was reported, and Thailand asked United Nations chief Antonio Guterres to invoke the Ottawa Convention compliance mechanism.
- A 1,046 km-long contaminated border and more than 3,200 sq km of cleared land frame the wider clearance challenge, with around 1,800 PMN-2s deactivated since September 2023 after donors invested US$1 billion over 30 years.
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The Japan TimesLandmines that sparked Thai-Cambodia clash were likely newly laid, experts say
BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH: Thai Army Second Lieutenant Baramee Sricha was on a patrol near a disputed stretch of the border between Thailand and Cambodia on Jul 16, when a member of his team stepped on a landmine that detonated, severing his ankle.The incident was a catalyst for five days of hostilities
Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Likely Sparked by New Landmines
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into deadly clashes in July 2025, triggered by two landmine incidents near their disputed border. On July 16, a Thai soldier lost his leg after stepping on a landmine, followed by another explosion on July 23 that injured multiple soldiers. The mines, reportedly PMN-2 Soviet-era anti-personnel devices, were suspected by Thailand to be newly planted, violating the Ottawa Convention. Cambodia denied t…
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