Landmines and Curfews Disrupt Thai-Cambodia Border Trade as Talks Stall
Anxiety is rising along Thailand’s eastern frontier as senior officials in Bangkok insist that meaningful talks with Phnom Penh can only begin when Cambodia shows "genuine readiness." For now, artillery ripples through the Dangrek Mountains, new landmines continue to maim Thai troops, and the United Nations is pleading—so far in vain—for a return to the negotiating table.
Key developments in one view
• Border flare-ups have intensified since the October cease-fire collapsed.
• Thailand accuses Cambodia of planting fresh anti-personnel mines in violation of the Ottawa Convention.
• Foreign Minister Sihasak says Bangkok will keep military pressure until Phnom Penh commits to talks.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres urges immediate steps to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid.
• Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim explores mediation, but neither side shows sign of compromise.
Why the frontier refuses to cool
Centuries-old disputes over cartography, temple precincts such as Prasat Preah Vihear, and control of resource-rich forestland underpin today’s clashes. The short-lived Kuala Lumpur Peace Declaration inked on 26 October barely survived two weeks before firefights erupted anew. Since early November, Thai authorities say at least 14 soldiers have been killed, dozens wounded, and 3,200 villagers evacuated from Sisaket, Surin and Buriram provinces. Cambodian media counter that Thai artillery has damaged homes near Preah Vihear, deepening animosity and reinforcing Phnom Penh’s “small-state victim” narrative.
Bangkok’s stance: talks if trust is real
Addressing lawmakers and foreign press this week, Sihasak Phuangketkeow argued that repeated rounds of dialogue since 2021 ended in “paper promises” Cambodia allegedly ignored. He framed the current objective as "denying further encroachment" rather than chasing an elusive handshake. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul echoed that line, warning that premature diplomacy would simply reset the cycle of agreement, violation, blame. Instead, Thai forces have been authorised to conduct "defensive operations" up to the de-facto borderline, while the Foreign Ministry prepares formal demarches to capitals worldwide outlining Thailand’s evidence.
The landmine controversy
Nothing has angered Thai officials more than what they call "newly sown" PMN-2 mines. Footage shot by ASEAN observers, displayed in Geneva during the annual Ottawa Convention meeting, shows uniformed soldiers burying devices on soil GPS-tagged inside Thailand’s Kantharalak district. Independent analysts from the Landmine Monitor later confirmed the clips’ authenticity. Thai medics report eight amputations since 10 November alone. Cambodia dismisses the charge, claiming all mines are "legacy ordnance" left from 1980s guerrilla warfare and accusing Bangkok of manufacturing an excuse for a military build-up.
International reaction gathers pace
The renewed violence has rattled regional partners. Guterres called for "maximum restraint" and stressed the need for humanitarian corridors after satellite imagery revealed fresh displacement camps on both sides of Highway 24. Malaysia’s Anwar floated a tri-partite observers mission—Thailand, Cambodia, ASEAN—but Bangkok prefers existing bilateral mechanisms and Phnom Penh demands an equal probe into alleged Thai airstrikes. Meanwhile, Washington and Beijing, each wielding considerable influence in Phnom Penh, issue boilerplate appeals for calm while quietly monitoring how the standoff could upset Mekong economic corridors.
Human toll and local economics
Border residents who once relied on cross-border trade in textiles, cassava and construction sand now face closed checkpoints and nightly curfews. Market sellers in Aranyaprathet report turnover down by 60 % since November, while the tourism reboot at Pha Mo I Daeng cliff has stalled completely. Provincial hospitals in Sisaket have set up mobile prosthetics clinics for wounded conscripts, and provincial governors are requesting an extra ฿250 M in emergency funds for shelters, livestock compensation and school relocations.
What to watch next
ASEAN foreign-ministers meeting in Jakarta on 18 December could test the bloc’s non-interference principle.
Thailand’s proposal for a fact-finding mission under the Ottawa Convention may receive a vote in early January.
Domestic politics matter: observers say rising cost-of-living protests in Phnom Penh and Bangkok risk fusing with nationalist rhetoric, making compromise harder.
Logistic firms worry that prolonged fighting could sever the Laem Chabang–Sihanoukville shipping route, nudging exporters toward costlier detours via Vietnam.
For now, the message from Bangkok is unambiguous: the door to dialogue exists, but only when Cambodia arrives "without preconditions and with proof of sincerity." Until that moment, residents near the eastern border must brace for a tense and uncertain holiday season.
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