A Cambodian legal and international criminal law expert has said that Thailand’s military is using the issue of landmines and unexploded ordnance as part of its broader strategy in the border conflict with Cambodia.

Chhang Youk, a former researcher for the Khmer Rouge tribunal, told reporters today that the Thai government has heightened its focus on landmines along the frontier with Cambodia. He said this is not unusual, as mines left behind from decades of conflict have already killed or maimed thousands of civilians in both countries. According to the 2004 Socio-Economic Survey, around 700,000 Cambodians live with disabilities, many of them caused by landmines.

Chhang Youk stressed that landmines are not the main obstacle to peace, but rather a secondary issue being used by Thailand as a political tool. He urged both governments to address the root causes of the conflict through honesty, transparency, and genuine commitment.

He called on Thailand to stop shifting attention toward the mine problem and instead focus on building unconditional trust as the basis for achieving lasting peace along the border.

The comments followed reports in the Thai newspaper Khaosod on August 27, quoting Boonsin Padklang, commander of Thailand’s Second Army Region. He accused Cambodia of violating the ceasefire agreement and the Ottawa Treaty after a Thai soldier stepped on a mine near Ta Krabey temple, losing one leg.

General Boonsin Padklang said Thailand had already prepared a military response plan, claiming that the hills surrounding the temple are heavily mined and occupied by Cambodian troops.

Later that evening, Cambodia’s authorities issued a statement firmly rejecting responsibility for the incident. The government denied Thailand’s accusations that new plastic mines had been planted by Cambodian forces in violation of both the ceasefire and the Ottawa Convention.