20/08/2025
At a recent press briefing, the Thai Foreign Minister and a military representative faced questions about landmines that were reportedly laid by Cambodian troops.
The first journalist asked two things: whether international experts would be allowed to investigate the landmines, and which country was supplying them to Cambodia, how were they planted.
The Foreign Minister's answer to the first question was unclear and filled with many details that didn't directly address the point. For the second question, he handed it off to the army official, saying the military would be better suited to answer. However, the army official seemed unprepared and simply gave the question back to the Foreign Minister. This exchange left the impression that neither expert had a solid answer.
A second journalist then asked a pointed question, noting that the landmines were found in a historical minefield known as K5, and asked if they were new. The Thai official replied that they were "completely newstocked."
This response raised a logical problem. If the mines were truly brand new and laid by Cambodian troops, it would mean those troops had risked their lives by going into a dangerous, pre-existing minefield just to lay new mines. What a nonsense story! The situation appeared to be a display of Thai authorities trying to make a case to the world, but the conflicting details and unprepared answers made the event seem more like an unconvincing and even humorous performance.