Thailand has suspended implementation of a peace agreement with Cambodia brokered by US President Donald Trump after two Thai soldiers were injured by landmines in the border area.
A Thai military statement released on Monday said two soldiers stepped on a landmine while patrolling near the border in Sisaket province in the morning. According to the statement, one of them lost his right ankle.
“This needs to stop,” Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters when asked how the incident would affect the peace agreement. “What happened at the border didn’t help de-escalate tensions, and if it didn’t there’s nothing we can do about it. This all needs to stop,” he added.
Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet signed an agreement on October 26 that sets out measures to end the border dispute between the two countries. The signing took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, in the presence of President Trump.
As part of the agreement, both countries pledged to remove all heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery from the border area. Thailand agreed to release 18 Cambodian prisoners, and Cambodia promised to help Thailand clear all landmines planted along the border.
Thai Defense Minister General Nataporn Nakpanich announced on Monday that Thailand would suspend the release of 18 Cambodians.
Nataphon added that the mine explosion occurred in an area regularly patrolled by the Thai military and there had been no previous incidents.
He said Thailand has already lodged a protest with the representative of Thailand’s ASEAN Interim Monitoring Mission, which will receive formal recognition immediately.
“If Cambodia can prove that it intends to plant more landmines, we will do more than protest,” he declared.
The border conflict escalated in July, leading to the closure of checkpoints and the interruption of the movement of goods and people between the countries.
Mr Anutin is scheduled to visit the border state on Tuesday to meet wounded soldiers.
In a statement late Monday, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Cambodian government “categorically denies any allegations” that its military had planted new landmines and stressed that it “remains committed to implementing the joint declaration.”
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