Marines seize Cambodian arms cache; navy alleges anti-personnel mines
Thailand’s navy accused Cambodian forces of using anti-personnel mines after marines seized an arms cache at Ban Tha Sen (Thmor Da Casino), vowing to compile evidence for international action.
The Royal Thai Navy has condemned Cambodia for what it described as a serious breach of international humanitarian law, accusing Cambodian forces of using anti-personnel landmines to lure Thai troops into a killing field.
Rear Admiral Parat Ratanachaipan, the navy’s spokesman, said the actions violated obligations under international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines (the Ottawa Treaty).
His remarks followed an operation by the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defence Command (CTBDC), which moved in to secure and inspect areas at Ban Nong Ri and Ban Tha Sen — locations the Thai side said had previously been occupied and used by Cambodian forces as military strongholds.
The CTBDC said it found multiple pieces of evidence indicating deliberate planning and the intentional use of anti-personnel mines, including:
- A diagram marking the positions of buried anti-personnel mines and modified explosive devices in the Ban Nong Ri area, which the navy said suggested advance preparation intended to endanger Thai soldiers’ lives.
- A weapons stockpile and a large number of modified anti-personnel mines at Ban Tha Sen (Thmor Da Casino), which the navy said showed prohibited weapons were being stored and utilised in an area where civilians live.
The navy said the incident resulted in the eighth Thai service member being injured by an anti-personnel mine — which it described as a direct consequence of a grave violation of international humanitarian law and an indiscriminate threat to both troops and civilians.
The Navy Spokesman’s Office said the laying, use, and continued presence of anti-personnel mines in this manner was a clear breach of the Ottawa Treaty and unacceptable to the international community.
It added that the navy would systematically collect all evidence for further state-level action, including notifying the international community and relevant organisations of what it called Cambodia’s continuing violations.
