Thailand recalls Cambodia ambassador over border landmine blasts
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Thailand recalls its ambassador from Cambodia and expels Phnom Penh’s envoy after Thai soldiers are injured by PMN-2 landmines on the disputed border.
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In this Sunday, July, 2025, photo released by the Royal Thai Army, Thai soldiers inspect a border area in Ubon Ratchathani province, where the Royal Thai Army said two anti-personnel landmines were found. (Royal Thai Army via AP)
Thailand has recalled its ambassador from Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia’s ambassador in response to a series of landmine incidents along the Thai-Cambodian border, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai announced on Wednesday.
The decision follows a second landmine explosion in just eight days on a disputed border area, which injured five Thai soldiers. One of the soldiers lost a leg due to the detonation of a Soviet-made PMN-2 anti-personnel mine. A previous incident on July 16 in the same area wounded three Thai soldiers, one of whom also suffered a below-the-knee amputation.
“We are recalling Thailand’s ambassador from Cambodia and expelling Cambodia’s ambassador from Thailand. We will then consider the future level of diplomatic relations with Cambodia,” Wechayachai said in a televised briefing.
Thailand’s ambassador had earlier been summoned for consultations, but the latest developments prompted a formal and escalated diplomatic measure.
Bangkok accuses Cambodia of border mine deployment
Thai military demining units inspected the affected border zone and discovered multiple newly planted PMN-2 mines located between 50 to 100 meters inside Thai territory. Officials believe the mines were laid within the past two months.
In response, Thailand has submitted a formal protest to Japan, which currently chairs the meetings of states parties to the Ottawa Convention, the international treaty banning the use, production, and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines. The Thai protest specifically accuses Cambodia of violating the treaty by planting mines on Thai soil.
The incident risks escalating tensions between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, with diplomatic relations now under direct review by Thai authorities.
Thailand-Cambodia clash
Thailand and Cambodia have maintained a longstanding dispute over their shared border spanning more than 800 kilometers (500 miles), a boundary primarily established during the French colonial administration of Indochina.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would pursue legal action by submitting a formal complaint to the International Court of Justice regarding the ongoing border conflict.
While the International Court of Justice determined in 2013 that the contested territory rightfully belonged to Cambodia, Thailand maintains its position of rejecting the ICJ's authority over the matter.
Sporadic violence has persisted along the Thai-Cambodian frontier since 2008, leading to at least 28 deaths, including a Cambodian soldier who was killed in the most recent clash on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos meet.
Read more: Tension between Thailand and Cambodia: Colonial roots and origins
