BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A landmine blast wounded three Thai soldiers on patrol Saturday near the border with Cambodia, days after the two sides agreed to extend the ceasefire that ended their deadliest clashes in decades.
The blast occurred in Sisaket province at around 10 a.m., the Royal Thai Military said in a statement.
One soldier suffered a severe leg injury, another was wounded in the back and arm, and the third experienced extreme pressure damage to the ear.
The incident came after a five-day conflict that killed at least 43 people in a flare-up of a long-running dispute over ancient border temples.
The clashes — involving jets, artillery, rockets and infantry battles — ended on 29 July with a ceasefire, after cajoling by United States President Donald Trump.
A meeting of defense officials in Kuala Lumpur finished on Thursday with a deal to extend the ceasefire.
After Saturday’s blast, Thailand’s foreign ministry accused Cambodia of laying new landmines and said it would lodge an official protest.
The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, a government body, issued a statement denying that any new mines had been laid.
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai was in neighboring Surin province on Saturday and has ordered the military to ensure the wounded soldiers receive full medical treatment.
Last month’s clashes along the 800-kilometer border forced more than 300,000 people to flee combat areas on both sides of the border.