China's assistance for mine removal along the Thai-Cambodian border acknowledged by Maris
Thailand and Cambodia are making significant strides in their efforts to clear landmines along their disputed border, amid ongoing tensions and accusations regarding newly planted mines. In a recent development, Cambodia has pledged to work with Thailand on joint mine clearance operations and cracking down on transnational crimes like call-centre scams.
This commitment comes after Thailand reported finding a PMN-2 anti-personnel landmine in an area where Cambodian soldiers had been conducting surveillance, which Thailand sees as a violation of the ceasefire and the Ottawa Convention banning such mines. In response, Thailand has been pressing for accountability and cooperation, including urging Norway—an international donor of mine clearance programs—to review support to Cambodia to ensure mines are removed effectively.
Diplomatic and governmental dialogues have resulted in Cambodia agreeing to joint surveys with Thailand to prioritize demining areas. Thailand supports the formation of an Interim Observer Team (IOT) composed of military attachés from both countries for immediate deployment to monitor the border and support mine clearance activities. A longer-term ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) has also been proposed, although its deployment faces legal and administrative delays.
Recent developments took place during the 10th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Anning, Yunnan Province, China. Maris Sangiampongsa, the Thai Foreign Minister, thanked Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for his support on the landmine issue, which is expected to be discussed further at the upcoming Regional Border Committee meeting.
During the meeting, Maris Sangiampongsa expressed gratitude to China for recognising the necessity of clearing landmines along the Thai-Cambodian border. He also emphasised the urgent need for cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia to expedite landmine clearance along their border. Maris Sangiampongsa participated in a trilateral discussion with China, Thailand, and Cambodia, and accepted an invitation from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to join an informal tea discussion with the foreign ministers of China, Thailand, and Cambodia.
These efforts are being done with ASEAN's support and are occurring within the broader context of the 2025 Cambodian-Thai border conflict ceasefire and ongoing diplomatic negotiations to stabilise the region. All parties in the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation agreed on the importance of preventing the spread of misinformation on social media.
In summary, recent developments indicate increased cooperation efforts between Thailand and Cambodia on landmine clearance along their border. Cambodia has pledged to joint surveys and mine clearance operations, and both countries recognise the humanitarian threat posed by mines, emphasising collaborative demining as essential to regional security and stability. China’s role in these recent landmine clearance and cooperation efforts between Thailand and Cambodia is not explicitly cited in the current available sources. The primary focus remains bilateral Thailand-Cambodia cooperation, supported by international observers and partners such as ASEAN and Norway.
- The ongoing landmine clearance efforts between Thailand and Cambodia, following a series of political and diplomatic negotiations, have extended to united action against transnational crimes like call-centre scams, indicating a broader scope of cooperation beyond war-and-conflicts.
- Amid the broader context of the 2025 Cambodian-Thai border conflict ceasefire and ongoing diplomatic negotiations, both Thailand and Cambodia have acknowledged the humanitarian threat of landmines and prioritized collaborative demining as crucial to maintaining general-news headlines of regional security and stability.
