An anonymous Cambodian military expert has described Thai army claims that a landmine which exploded on November 10 — causing a Thai soldier to lose his leg — was a “new” mine is a false assertion. The Thai army issued a new statement today, claiming that the mine, which exploded in a known historic minefield, was newly planted.
The Thai army suggested that their claims were based on reporting from the ASEAN observer team (AOT) stationed in Thailand, which alleged that the mine which exploded on November 10 was a PMN-2 type that had been newly placed.
However, the Cambodian explosives specialist, who requested anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media, dismissed these claims.
“This is a statement that does not reflect the truth. An ASEAN observer report must be a joint report between the ASEAN observers in Cambodia and those in Thailand to be valid, rather than relying on a unilateral report. To date, there has been no ASEAN report confirming that the landmine the Thai soldier stepped on was a new mine,” he said.
Cambodia has repeatedly reiterated that the landmines located along the Cambodia-Thailand border are old mines left over from the Cambodian civil war era, and that no Cambodian forces have placed new landmines.
On several occasions, Cambodia has requested a joint investigation to verify the evidence before any conclusions are drawn.
