A Chinese man has been injured in a landmine explosion, as he tried to sneak across the border from Cambodia into Thailand via Ban Nong Chan in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo this morning.
The victim has been identified as Shi Jingui, a 25-year-old native of Yunnan province.
Thai border patrol police, stationed at Ban Nong Chan, heard an explosion, believed to have been caused by a landmine, at 5.50am this morning about 90 metres from the Sriphen border road.
The police waited until sunrise before sending a drone over the scene of the explosion. They found a man calling for help in English. Police and a bomb disposal team were sent to the scene, where they found the injured man, who was taken to the district hospital.
Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaew are two border villages designated for mine clearance as part of the ongoing border demarcation process.
Reacting to the incident, Army Spokesman Maj-Gen Winthai Suvaree said that landmines are still being buried along the border in the two villages, posing a serious threat to everyone’s safety.
He said that the Thai side has been trying to demine the area unilaterally, because the Cambodians have refused to cooperate, despite being a signatory to the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel landmines. Furthermore, Cambodia has received financial support for demining operations.
