Dig deep in mine case

A landmine explosion that injured three soldiers, one of whom had his foot blown off, while patrolling the Thai-Cambodian border in Ubon Ratchathani province requires a thorough and transparent investigation.

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The incident that took place on Wednesday afternoon near Hill 481 in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yuen district saw Private Thanapat Huiwan lose his foot.

Two other soldiers suffered chest pain. All three are now in safe condition.

The incident poses a risk to fragile bilateral ties with Cambodia, which may consequently go from bad to worse.

It is worrying that some political groups have jumped to the conclusion that the neighbouring country was responsible, given the proximity to the border.

Activists cite the type of landmine, a Russian-made PMN-2 that is known as a cheap and very difficult to detect, to support their claim. However, it’s far too soon to be pointing fingers.