Cambodia Rejects Thai Landmine Claims in Escalating Dispute

Thailand accused Cambodia of injuring its soldiers with landmines planted on the Thai side of their shared border, prompting Phnom Penh to reject the claim and suggest the incident may have been aimed at triggering a larger confrontation.

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BANGKOK - Thailand accused Cambodia of injuring its soldiers with landmines planted on the Thai side of their shared border, prompting Phnom Penh to reject the claim and suggest the incident may have been aimed at triggering a larger confrontation.

Three Thai soldiers were injured when they stepped on a landmine during a routine patrol along an established route on July 16, Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late on July 20.

The mines were not of a type used by Thailand and were recently laid in a "blatant violation of international law," it said.

"The Royal Thai Government condemns in the strongest terms the use of anti-personnel mines," the ministry said, adding that it planned to take action against Cambodia under the United Nations' Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention while pursuing bilateral channels to resolve the ongoing dispute.