A Chinese man was seriously injured on Saturday after stepping on a land mine in a contested area on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, an incident that has immediately reignited diplomatic friction between the two Southeast Asian nations.
Details of the Border Incident
The Thai army reported that the explosion occurred shortly before dawn in a zone it considers part of its eastern Sa Kaeo province. The individual was identified as 26-year-old Shi Jingui from China's Yunnan Province.
According to official statements, Border Patrol Police first heard the blast. A drone was subsequently deployed to survey the area, locating the injured man. A team of deminers and security personnel then conducted a retrieval operation, transporting him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The Chinese Embassy in Thailand later confirmed that one of its citizens was involved, describing the man as being in a stable condition, though no specific details of his injuries were disclosed by Thai authorities.
A History of Dispute and Accusations
This event has poured fuel on a long-smouldering dispute. The Thai army used the occasion to reiterate its accusation that Cambodian forces have been planting new anti-personnel mines in the disputed territory.
Army Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree stated that the area is contaminated with land mines and that Thai authorities are in the process of clearing them. He further alleged that Cambodia has not cooperated with Thailand on joint mine-clearing efforts, despite repeated proposals.
These accusations are not new. Land mine explosions earlier this year, which wounded Thai soldiers, helped spark five days of intensive fighting in late July. More recent incidents have threatened the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ended that brief conflict.
Broader Implications and Regional Tensions
The fallout from this single incident stretches far beyond the border. Thailand announced earlier this month that it was indefinitely pausing the implementation of the ceasefire details. This decision came after another mine explosion injured four Thai soldiers, one of whom lost his right foot. Bangkok is demanding an apology from Cambodia.
Thailand maintains that collected evidence proves the mines are newly laid, a direct violation of international agreements. Cambodia, however, has consistently denied these claims. A spokesperson for Cambodia's Defence Ministry, Maly Socheata, has previously asserted that the devices could be remnants from decades of internal armed conflict, which officially concluded in 1999.
This ongoing dispute over border demarcation and the use of land mines continues to be a major obstacle to peaceful relations, with both sides trading blame even as they are supposed to be collaborating on clearance operations.
