Cambodian troops accused of laying landmines in Surin

The Thai Army has accused Cambodian troops of continuing to lay landmines on Thai territory, in violation of the Ottawa Convention.

According to the Second Army Region, 2 or 3 Cambodian soldiers, believed to be members of the elite Bodyguards Headquarters (BHQ), were spotted by Thai troops about 100 metres into the Thai territory, on the western side of Mount 350 in Bak Dai sub-district of Surin at about 4pm yesterday.

A Thai Army patrol, with a bomb detector, was sent to investigate. They found a newly-laid mine and marked it, ahead of the arrival of an explosive ordnance disposal unit.

The incident occurred even though Thai and Cambodian forces agreed, at the Regional Border Committee meeting in Aranyaprathet yesterday, to cooperate in mine clearance and in cracking down on transnational criminal operations, specifically scam call centres.