5-12-2025 (BANGKOK) Thailand and Cambodia escalated their border standoff Thursday at the United Nations Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention meeting in Geneva, where Bangkok demanded a rare fact-finding probe into alleged new Cambodian landmines.
The clash unfolded during the annual gathering of the Ottawa Convention’s state parties, with Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow pressing for the treaty’s first-ever independent investigation unless Phnom Penh accepts responsibility for the explosives. At least eight Thai soldiers have been severely injured by suspected landmine blasts since mid-July, including one on November 10 that prompted Bangkok to suspend a U.S.-brokered peace deal signed in October.
Cambodia’s Senior Minister Ly Thuch countered by denouncing Thailand’s accusations as “baseless” and a pretext for aggression, emphasizing Phnom Penh’s decades-long demining efforts that have cleared over 3,000 square kilometers. The dispute traces back to contested frontier areas, where deadly clashes in late July killed dozens and tested a fragile ASEAN-mediated truce led by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Cambodia, a global leader in mine action after destroying more than 1.2 million devices from past wars, urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure the release of 18 detained Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand for over four months.
