Soldier Loses Limb In Land Mine Blast

Thai and Cambodian military officials said a Thai soldier lost his leg after stepping on a land mine Thursday (2 April) but disagreed over which country he was in at the time, the latest flare-up in a tense border dispute. The soldier was injured near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which is on a cliff along the countries’ ill-defined border and has been a source of conflict for decades. Troops from both countries have been stationed at the border since July 2008, and two clashes near the temple last year sparked brief concerns of war.

According to Phnom Penh, the mine exploded after a group of Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory. The blast prompted the soldiers to fire shots into the air and put Cambodian troops on alert, said Yim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier at the border. They received orders from the commander that if Thai soldiers enter Cambodian territory (again), that they have the right to open fire.

Thai Maj. Gen. Tawatchai Samutsakorn disputed that account.”The Thai troops were not in Cambodian territory,” he told the AP, saying the wounded soldier was a 46-year old paramilitary trooper on a patrol near the border in Thailand’s northeastern Sisaket province.