Senate President Ridicules Thai Landmine Claim as Cambodia Rejects Allegation

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 5, 2025) — Cambodia has dismissed as baseless a claim by Thailand’s 2nd Army Area that a landmine explosion along the border was caused by mines allegedly laid by Cambodian forces, with Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen openly mocking the allegation as a poorly staged production.

“The acting is good, but it lacks technique,” Hun Sen said. “Next time, please direct the film crew to prepare the set properly, choose actors who know how to perform the mine‑laying movements correctly, and instruct the cameramen on how to film the scenes convincingly.”

The Ministry of National Defense also rejected the report, with spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata calling it an attempt to mislead the international community and justify what Phnom Penh described as efforts to intrude into Cambodian territory.

Thailand’s 2nd Army Area reported an explosion in Huai Tamaria at 14:20 on Dec. 2, but Cambodia’s Military Region 4 said no blast was heard or recorded at that time.

Socheata reaffirmed that Cambodia has not laid new mines since joining the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention and accused Thailand of using “false information” as a pretext to challenge Cambodia’s sovereignty.

The dispute coincided with Cambodia’s address to the 22nd Meeting of States Parties to the Ottawa Convention in Geneva. Senior Minister Ly Thuch, first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority, briefed delegates on Cambodia’s progress in mine clearance and survivor assistance, urging States Parties to protect the treaty’s humanitarian principles from political interference.

Thuch highlighted Cambodia’s internationally recognized expertise in mine clearance and reaffirmed its commitment to victims, national capacity building, and sharing technical experience with other affected countries.

He noted that some border regions in neighboring states continue to face contamination levels similar to those once seen in Cambodia.