The Thai army said that a Thai soldier has lost a leg after stepping on a landmine along the Thai-Cambodian border.
It announced in a Facebook post on Monday (Dec. 29), “Urgent! Leg 11 already! Time 11:00 A.M. Lieutenant Colonel Sujin Chitkriyan, the 8th Mechanic Brigade, 1st Cavalry Brigade (8th Battalion) stepped on a bomb of Cambodian soldiers in Khao Sattasom area while clearing the area. Left leg injury (sad).”
It remains unclear if the latest injury sustained by the Thai soldier will jeopardise the second ceasefire agreed between Thailand and Cambodia on Dec. 27 at noon local time.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement prior to the ceasefire on Dec. 27 that the ceasefire will be “subject to monitoring and observation over a period of 72 hours to ensure that it is being implemented in good faith.”
The statement also stated that clear operational mechanisms on mine clearance will be established through the Joint Task Coordinating Task Force on Humanitarian Demining, to ensure that operations are conducted in a systematic, safe, and transparent manner, prior to any subsequent survey and demarcation of the boundary.
Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia first erupted this year on Jul, 24, after landmines wounded 5 Thai soldiers a day earlier while they were conducting patrol along the Thai-Cambodian border.
Both countries have subsequently signed a peace agreement on Oct. 26 on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit brokered by US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry also released a separate statement on Dec. 23 stating that one of the conditions for the de-escalation of tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border was that “Cambodia must demonstrate sincerity in cooperating with Thailand on humanitarian demining.”
“Cambodia has violated its obligations under these bilateral agreements and international law, particularly international humanitarian law, on numerous occasions. The repeated breaches of the Joint Declaration, especially the landmine incidents, cannot be ignored,” the statement added.
