In the eastern province of Trat, a marine officer lost his foot after stepping on a Cambodian mine while on duty in a recently reclaimed area near the Cambodian border this morning, on December 21.
Captain Thammanoon Wanna, commander of an ad hoc marine unit in Trat, reported the incident occurred in Ban Nong Ree village, Cham Rak subdistrict, Mueang district, at 9.14am.
The explosion severely injured Chief Petty Officer First Class Therdpong Pomnara, an engineering officer in the marine unit.
He lost his right foot in the area known as Ban Sam Lang (three houses). Military medics administered first aid before he was airlifted to Phrapokklao Hospital in the neighbouring Chanthaburi province.
Thai personnel examined the explosion site and identified remnants of a new PMN-2 anti-personnel landmine.
Rear Admiral Parat Ratanachaipan, government spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, stated the incident demonstrated Cambodia’s continued use of anti-personnel landmines, contravening the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) and international humanitarian laws.
This incident is the most recent of eight occurrences where Thai military personnel have lost a foot to Cambodian landmines.
In recent news, a royal cremation ceremony was held in Kalasin for Army Nurse Sergeant Apisit Bunnak, who died from injuries sustained during clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border.
The ceremony, presided over by senior figures from the Royal Thai Army, honoured Apisit’s service and sacrifice. His family, including his wife, children, and mother, attended the solemn rites, expressing pride despite their grief.
Apisit was posthumously promoted, awarded special medals, and granted financial support for his family. Royal patronage of the funeral underscored national recognition of his duty and dedication to Thailand.
Additionally, a Chinese national was injured by a Cambodian landmine planted along the Thai-Cambodian border border during recent cross-border movement, reported by Bangkok Post.
The story Thai marine officer loses foot to Cambodian mine near border as seen on Thaiger News.
