Ceasefire broken? Cambodia blames Thai border explosion on burning trash
An explosion heard near the Thai-Cambodian border this week briefly raised concerns about a possible breach of the ceasefire, but Cambodian military officials were quick to frame the incident as an accident rather than hostile fire.
In a letter to Thailand’s Second Army Area, a senior Cambodian officer said the blast occurred during routine clean-up operations at a military base on the Cambodian side of the frontier, near the Mum Bei, or Chong Bok, area.
Brig Gen Nid Narong, Deputy Chief of Staff of Cambodia’s Military Region 4 and chairman of the secretariat of the Cambodia-Thailand Regional Border Committee, said troops had been burning rubbish collected during a base reorganisation when an unexploded munition detonated.
The incident took place at 7.27 a.m. on Tuesday in Preah Vihear province, an area that has long been sensitive because of its proximity to the disputed border.
According to the letter, a leftover DKZ munition was mixed in with the rubbish pile and exploded during the burning process, injuring two Cambodian soldiers, one seriously and one slightly.
The blast was loud enough to alarm Thai troops stationed nearby, prompting concerns that gunfire or shelling had resumed along the border, where tensions have periodically flared despite formal ceasefire agreements.
Cambodian officials said the clarification was issued to prevent any misunderstanding from escalating into a wider incident between the two militaries.
Nid expressed condolences over the injuries and stressed that the explosion took place within Cambodia’s sovereign territory, with no hostile intent towards Thailand.
He reiterated Cambodia’s commitment to resolving border issues peacefully and in accordance with international law, and said its forces continued to respect the ceasefire and related agreements.
These include documents signed on July 28 and October 26 last year, as well as a joint document from the third special meeting of the Cambodia–Thailand General Border Committee on December 27.
The Cambodian side said the priority now was to restore calm quickly and ensure peace, stability and safety for communities living along both sides of the border.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
