Border blast near Surin likely caused by Cambodian landmines - Thai Army

Second Army Region Command has refuted viral online media rumours that Cambodia fired artillery shells into Surin province last night, saying the explosions heard were possibly caused by Cambodian soldiers detonating landmines they had laid.

The command wrote on its Facebook page this morning that it had checked with army units in the area, following widespread reports of an explosion near Ta Kwai Temple in Phanom Dongrak district last night. It wrote:

“It is confirmed that the explosion did not occur on the Thai side. It likely resulted from Cambodian soldiers stepping on landmines laid near the temple.”

The army urged the public not to panic over the online rumor and advised them to follow official channels, to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of laying new anti-personnel landmines, despite the global ban on such weapons. Five Thai soldiers have lost limbs and many others have been wounded by mines while patrolling the shared border with Cambodia.