BANGKOK: Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador on Wednesday and recalled its own envoy, as it blamed its neighbour for a landmine blast that wounded a Thai soldier, inflaming a long-running border dispute.
Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in a disputed border area — a claim denied by Phnom Penh.
The territorial row in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, boiled over into military clashes in May that left one Cambodian soldier dead.
Since then, the two sides have traded barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports.
Five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by the landmine on Wednesday afternoon in the Nam Yuen district of northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, the Thai army said.
In response, the government agreed to an army proposal to close a number of border checkpoints, Phumtham said in a statement to journalists.
“It has also decided to downgrade diplomatic relations by recalling the Thai ambassador to Cambodia and expelling Cambodia’s ambassador to Thailand,” he said.
The Thai army said in a statement that one soldier lost his leg in the blast, and others suffered ear injuries and chest pain.
The army chief will visit the wounded soldiers on Thursday.
Cambodia’s defence ministry on Wednesday night “categorically rejected the unfounded accusations” made by Thailand.
“Cambodia has repeatedly reminded the Thai side that these areas still contain many landmines left over from past wars, which have not yet been fully cleared,” defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement.
“It is deeply regrettable that the Thai side has not only failed to take responsibility for its aggressive actions but has also gone as far as accusing Cambodia of violating international law,” she said, adding that her country is “the unjust victim of Thailand’s violations”.
The spokeswoman said that Cambodia would defend its territorial integrity under “any circumstances, and at any cost”.
The border dispute has soured relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok — prompting the closure of border crossings, and Cambodia blocking imports of fuel and gas as well as fruit and vegetables from Thailand.
It also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct during the row.
A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former longtime ruler and father of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.
Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law.
He said the tensions with Thailand meant conscription was needed, and the defence budget may also be increased. – AFP
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