Thai military reveals Cambodia's manipulation of landmine clearance clips to discredit Thai soldiers
The Royal Thai Army has vehemently denied Cambodia's allegations of Thai troops planting landmines along the Thai-Cambodian border. The denial comes after Cambodian Mine Action Authority Director-General Heng Ratana accused Thailand of such actions[1].
The Thai Army spokesman, Major General Winthai Suvaree, publicly stated that the evidence used by Cambodia is misleading and does not support the allegations[2]. The Royal Thai Army insists it has never procured, stored, or used the specific type of landmines found near the border, which are identified as PMN-2 anti-personnel mines, a type that has never been part of the Royal Thai Army's inventory[3].
A significant piece of evidence presented by the Thai military is the footage aired by the Cambodian media outlet Fresh News, which allegedly shows Thai soldiers planting mines. However, the Thai military has clarified that the footage was actually from a training and demining operation conducted by the Thai Humanitarian Mine Action Centre (T-MAC), a part of the Royal Thai Army[2].
The Thai military has also highlighted that the landmines were deliberately planted inside Thai territory, in areas previously cleared and deemed safe. This suggests that the responsible party may be Cambodia, not Thailand[1][3].
The allegations made by Cambodia have been deemed baseless and misleading by the Thai military. The misrepresentation of the footage has been seen as damaging to Thailand's reputation[2].
In summary, the Royal Thai Army has presented several pieces of evidence to challenge Cambodia’s accusations, including:
- Identification of the specific mine type (PMN-2), not used by Thailand.
- Forensic evidence from the blast sites showing mines newly planted inside Thai territory.
- Proof that video evidence used by Cambodia was taken during Thai mine-clearing drills, not planting operations[1][2][3].
The Thai Humanitarian Mine Action Centre (T-MAC) is not involved in planting landmines, according to the Thai military. The centre is dedicated to training and demining operations.
The Thai military has disputed the international allegations made by Cambodia, deeming them baseless and misleading. This is due to the evidence presented by Cambodia not correctly representing the situation, as seen in the case of the footage aired by Fresh News, which actually depicted a Thai Humanitarian Mine Action Centre (T-MAC) training and demining operation, not landmine planting as claimed. Furthermore, the specific type of landmine found near the border, identified as PMN-2 anti-personnel mines, has never been part of the Royal Thai Army's inventory, indicating that Thailand has not been involved in this matter.
The general news and crime-and-justice sectors have been drawn into this international war-and-conflicts issue, as the Thai military's reputation has been tarnished by the misrepresentation of the evidence presented by Cambodia. The Thai Army insists that it has never been involved in planting landmines along the Thai-Cambodian border, and that the responsible party may, in fact, be Cambodia, not Thailand.
