Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence completely rejected Thailand's allegations concerning a Chinese man stepping on a landmine along the Cambodia–Thailand border. On the morning of November 30, ministry spokesperson Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said the man identified by Thai authorities as the victim, SHI JINGUI, holding passport number 2356975263, had no name entry in the General Department of Immigration's system recording travellers entering and leaving Cambodia, as confirmed by the Ministry of Interior. The clarification and denial followed the Thai military's use of the incident to accuse Cambodia of continuing to use landmines along the border, endangering military personnel and civilians.
According to a report from Military Region 5 of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, at 3:20 a.m. on November 29, 2025, Cambodian Border Unit 503, stationed in Chouk Chey village, Ou Bei Choan commune, Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, heard one landmine explosion. The report said inspection found that the incident had occurred inside a Cambodian minefield containing old unexploded mines left over from years of war.
The ministry reiterated that Cambodia observes international law and has never laid new mines. It said Cambodia has worked to clear war-era mines to protect people's lives and safety and promote socioeconomic development, while also actively participating in mine-clearance work under the United Nations.
On humanitarian demining along the Cambodia–Thailand border, CMAC and TMAC teams, supporting the JCTF, have visited and assessed pilot sites in priority border areas and continued discussions, achieving successive positive results. Cambodia urged Thailand to strictly implement the agreements already reached by both sides, with humanitarian demining along the border conducted through the JCTF and in accordance with the agreed standard operating procedures, or SOPs.
By: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
