RTA has discovered two additional landmines in Chong Bok area, near the site of the original incident. This discovery is a clear violation of the Ottawa Convention. The Directorate of Intelligence will invite the Military Attaché Corps to Thailand for a briefing on the facts.
Today (21 July 2025), at the Royal Thai Army Headquarters, Major General Winthai Suvaree, the Army Spokesperson, reported that following the incident on 16 July 2025—when personnel from the 6021st Infantry Company triggered an explosive device during a border patrol in the Chong Bok area, Ubon Ratchathani Province, resulting in injuries to three soldiers.
Yesterday (20 July 2025), Suranaree Task Force and Humanitarian Mine Action Unit 3 conducted another thorough inspection of the incident area. The area examination revealed the placement of two PMN2-type anti-personnel landmines in new, ready-to-use condition, located 30 centimeters from the original blast crater. The personnel from Humanitarian Mine Action Unit 3 successfully removed both of the newly discovered landmines.
Such actions constitute a clear violation of Thailand's sovereignty and demonstrate intent to harm Thai military personnel. Furthermore, this violates the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Anti-Personnel Mines, to which both Thailand and Cambodia are signatory parties. The Royal Thai Army therefore wishes to make this information public and seeks cooperation from ASEAN member countries as well as the international community to jointly condemn Cambodia's severely inappropriate actions. Additionally, the Directorate of Intelligence will brief the Military Attaché Corps to Thailand on the facts of this case tomorrow.
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Royal Thai Army Public Relations Center, Army Spokesperson Team, 21 July 2025
Army Spokesperson Clarifies Cambodian Allegations Regarding Thai Military Landmine Placement, Confirms Discovered Landmines Are Not of Thai Origin, and States Cambodian Information Constitutes Distortion of Facts
On 20 July 2025, Major General Winthai Suvaree, the Army spokesperson, clarified the facts to establish accurate public understanding regarding the case in which Mr. Heng Ratana, Director of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), gave an interview to media outlets accusing Thai military personnel of planting new landmines along the Thai-Cambodia border area, claiming to possess photographs and video clips indicating such behavior. The facts are as follows:
1.The landmines discovered in the Thai-Cambodia border area, specifically in Chong Bok sector and other areas, are PMN-2 type explosives, anti-personnel mines manufactured in Russia. The Royal Thai Army does not possess such type of explosive and has never included them in the procurement inventory for use by Thai military units, nor has there ever been any utilization of such devices in operations across any border areas.
2.The photographs and video clips disseminated by Cambodia's "Fresh News" media outlet, which were presented as evidence of Thai military landmine placement, have been verified and found to be images from missions conducted by the Thailand Mine Action Center (T-MAC) during training exercises for clearance and recovery operations or during military personnel’s rest periods. These were not landmine placement activities in any manner. The presentation of information in such a manner constitutes distortion of facts and creates severe damage to Thailand.
https://t.co/WDBEiRwSfe. Heng Ratana's statement that landmines are located within Thai territory and that Thailand must assume responsibility, while citing Article 5 of the Ottawa Treaty, which stipulates that "the sovereign authority over the territory must be responsible," further reflects that the landmines discovered are within Thailand's sovereign territory and demonstrates encroachment into Thai territory through clandestine cross-border infiltration to plant landmines.
Furthermore, this contradicts Cambodia's own official statements. On 20 July 2025, Lieutenant General Mali Sochheata, spokesperson of Cambodia's Ministry of Defense, issued a statement via the Ministry's Facebook page indicating that Thai soldiers stepped on a landmine at Ban Techor Kot, Morakot Sub-district, Choam Ksan District, Preah Vihear Province. This case of contradictory statements from the Cambodian side, where Mr. Heng Ratana claimed landmines were in Thai territory and requiring Thai responsibility, demonstrates errors in attempting to distort information to the extent that they must issue corrections among themselves.
The Royal Thai Army affirms that Thailand and the Royal Thai Armed Forces strictly comply with obligations under international humanitarian law while calling upon the Cambodian side to cease disseminating false information that may impact bilateral relations and create international misunderstanding.
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Royal Thai Army Public Relations Center, Army Spokesperson Team, 20 July 2025