The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority said Thailand had politicised the landmine issue and repeatedly accused Cambodia to justify military action against it.
In an August 15 statement, the authority rejected a Thai army spokesperson’s allegation that Cambodia had planted new mines that injured Thai soldiers on four occasions. It said Thailand also accused Cambodia of violating Article 1 of the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
The authority said Cambodia’s extensive mine clearance work had earned international recognition. It said the Thai army had repeatedly made accusations without specific evidence or a credible investigation report, including a similar accusation in 2008. The Cambodian authority described this as a tactic to raise tensions and justify armed force.
The authority said it had written to the president of the Ottawa Convention to set out its account of the history of Thailand’s allegations and how it said they had been used to justify military action against Cambodia.
The authority said Thailand would bear responsibility for accidents on its own territory. Cambodia rejected what the authority called baseless attempts to shift blame or use the issue for political advantage or as a pretext for military action.
The authority said that if the incidents occurred in Cambodia or in undemarcated border areas, Thailand would have violated the 2000 memorandum of understanding and agreements from the August 7 extraordinary General Border Committee meeting. It said the area was heavily contaminated with mines left by wars in the 1970s and 1980s. Survey and clearance are needed, but forested hills and incomplete demarcation make clearance difficult.
Citing these difficulties, what it described as Thai military threats and the need to protect communities, the authority said the border should first be demarcated. It rejected false accusations and any use of landmines as a pretext for political gain or encroaching on another country’s sovereignty.
The authority said Cambodia had not used anti-personnel mines and would not do so. It condemned accusations that it called false and said they were being used to justify aggression and a violation of Cambodian sovereignty.
Cambodia urged Ottawa Convention states parties to uphold the treaty and reject unfounded accusations between parties, citing Thailand’s allegations. It called on Thailand to release the remaining Cambodian soldiers it said had been unlawfully detained, describing their detention as a violation of international law, the ceasefire agreement and humanitarian principles.
By ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត.
