A Chinese national was injured Saturday after stepping on a landmine near the Cambodia-Thailand border, according to the Thai army. The incident has reignited tensions between the two countries, wiht Thailand accusing Cambodian forces of planting landmines in disputed territory.The injured man, identified as 26-year-old Shi Jingui from Yunnan Province, was allegedly attempting to cross into thailand illegally when the explosion occured in an area Thailand claims as part of its eastern Sa Kaeo province. thai Army Spokesperson Major General Winthai Suvaree stated the area “is contaminated with landmines that Thai authorities are in the process of clearing according to plan.” Details of Shi’s injuries were not released by the Thai army, but the Chinese Embassy in Thailand reported he is in stable condition.The explosion follows earlier landmine incidents this year that wounded Thai soldiers and contributed to five days of fighting between the two nations in late July. The border region has been subject to decades of dispute over its precise demarcation.
Saturday’s Thai army statement reiterated previous claims, asserting that “the abundance of evidence points to the continued use of new mines” by Cambodia. Humanitarian organizations, like those employing mine-detecting rats in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province, work to clear landmines in the region, a legacy of past conflicts. The recent incidents threaten a ceasefire established after the July clashes.
