BANGKOK (AP) — A Chinese man allegedly trying to cross illegally into Thailand from Cambodia was injured Saturday when he stepped on a land mine, the Thai army announced, repeating its accusations that Cambodian forces were planting weapons against personnel in territory claimed by both countries.
Army Spokesman, Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree was quoted as saying that the area where the incident occurred, declared by Thailand to be part of its eastern province of Sa Kaeo, “is contaminated with land mines that the Thai authorities are in the process of removing according to plan.”
Statements posted online by the army did not give details about the injuries of the Chinese man, who he identified as 26-year-old Shi Jingui from Yunnan Province.
A statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand did not name the man but described him as being in a stable condition.
Landmine explosions earlier this year along the border that wounded Thai soldiers helped spark five days of intense fighting in late July. Disputes over where exactly the border should be demarcated have plagued relations for decades.
More recent incidents in which additional Thai troops were injured by mines threatened a ceasefire that ended the brief conflict. Echoing earlier accusations, the Thai army’s statement on Saturday said “abundance of evidence points to the continued use of new mines” by Cambodia.
Both sides continue to trade accusations about responsibility, even as they are supposedly cooperating to get rid of the mines.
The Thai army said it became aware of the incident on Saturday when the Border Patrol Police detonated an explosion shortly before dawn and a drone was deployed to monitor the situation, and find the wounded man. Deminers and security personnel then retrieved him and sent him to hospital.
Thailand earlier this month said it was indefinitely halting implementation of the details of a US-brokered ceasefire until Cambodia apologized for a landmine explosion earlier this month that injured four Thai soldiers, including one who lost his right leg.
Thailand claims evidence it has gathered shows that the mines have just been laid, and that Cambodia is violating international agreements that prohibit their use.
Cambodia has repeatedly denied that new mines have been laid and claimed that these may remain from decades of its internal armed struggles, which ended in 1999 with the official surrender of the Khmer Rouge communist guerillas.
After the previous explosion, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Cambodia Maly Socheata said that her country “remains committed to work closely with Thailand to promote peace and stability between the two countries, especially to ensure the security and safety of civilians.”
Thai army spokesman Winthai on Saturday said Cambodia “has not cooperated with Thailand in clearing mines along the shared border, despite Thailand’s repeated proposals in bilateral meetings.”