Analyst: Mine explosion Thai ‘self-inflicted injury ploy’ to destroy Trump peace agreement
[The Thai army claim that they have discovered newly-laid landmines near the scene of a November 10 explosion that wounded several soldiers. Royal Thai Army]
A senior analyst from one of Cambodia’s premier think-tanks believes that Thailand’s announcement that it will cease the implementation of the October 26 peace agreement reveals Thailand’s true colour and character, which he described as “always dishonest with one excuse after another”.
One of the many conditions in the joint declaration between Cambodia and Thailand, signed in Kala Lumpur and witnessed by US President Donald Trump and ASEAN chair Anwar Ibrahim, stipulated the removal of mines along the border. This was included because the Cambodia-Thailand border is littered with landmines left over from past Cambodian wars, which have in the past exploded and injured Thai soldiers on patrol.
However, before the demining activities under the agreement could even begin, the Thai side, including both the military and the government, announced they will not honour the agreement. This followed November 10 incident when a mine exploded, severing the leg of a Thai soldier and injuring several others. Thailand has pointed the finger at Cambodia and claimed that the mine was newly laid.
The announcement of non-implementation of the agreement means the continued detention of 18 Cambodian soldiers that were captured 105 days prior.
Cambodia, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has categorically denied each of Thailand’s accusations that Cambodia planted new mines along the border. It explained that these mines are remnants from Cambodia’s nearly 30-years of civil war in the 1970s and 1980s and have not yet been cleared due to difficult terrain and the unresolved border demarcation.
Thailand’s reversal came just days after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the captive soldiers would be released on November 12. The sudden about face has dashed the hopes of the Cambodian people, who were eagerly awaiting the return of the captured men to their families.
Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, believes that Thailand lacks the goodwill to implement the ceasefire and peace agreement. He suggested that incidents like the mine explosion could be an excuse for Thailand to dismantle the agreement.
Phea said the Thai government led by Anutin holds no real power, other than to follow the military’s lead and appease them during its short term in power. Following the military and engaging in populism are seen as stepping stones to attract votes in the future.
“If Anutin wanted to implement the peace agreement, he could not, and besides, his term is about to end. So, in reality, it is the Thai military that has no intention of implementing the ceasefire or the peace agreement. In the past, due to external pressure, they took some minor actions, but now they are creating excuses to stop implementing the peace agreement and to continue detaining the Cambodian soldiers,” he noted.
“I believe this is a long-term ambition of Thailand, which wants to invade Cambodian territory by military force because they have an advantage over Cambodia in military, economic, human and information terms,” he added.
Nevertheless, he believes that if Thailand continues with such “devious” behaviour, it will lose the trust of the international community. While Thailand cannot nullify the agreement, they can effectively end it through non-compliance.
He opined that Thailand clearly does not value the US, especially Trump’s policies, and is currently employing a strategy of buying time. They are waiting for a moment to align more closely with America and for a favourable opportunity to launch a military assault on Cambodia.
Regarding the continued detention of the captured soldiers, he believed that Thailand will continue to invent excuses or “tricks” to show the international community that they have reasons for detaining the Cambodian soldiers.
“As we all know, since the time of their ancestors, the Thais have never spoken the truth. Therefore, whether Thailand releases our heroic Cambodian soldiers or not, let the international community monitor the situation. I believe Thailand cannot kill these 18 heroic soldiers. If they dare to do so, the entire country and people of Thailand will be condemned worldwide as a rogue or terrorist state,” Phea said.
“Let’s stop dancing to the aggressor’s tune. It’s one condition after another, one excuse after another, in thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of chapters. They perform a drama and use the ‘self-inflicted injury ploy’ in dozens, hundreds of scenes, one after another, despicably evil beyond human nature,” he added.
While Thai military recently said they want to claim temples under Cambodia’s control, Phea believes that Cambodia must not exchange its temples or territory with the “invading thieves”.
“I am confident that our heroic soldiers would rather sacrifice their lives than allow us to trade temples or territory for their freedom, not even a single temple stone or a square metre of land, because that is the dignity and honour of a sovereign nation, for which territorial integrity is a non-negotiable red line,” he said.
-The Phnom Penh post-
