Defence Ministry: Chinese landmine casualty's name absent from travel records

On the morning of November 30, Defence Ministry spokesperson Army Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said the Ministry of Interior had checked the name SHI JINGUI, the Chinese citizen identified by Thailand as the victim of a landmine incident, and found that it did not appear in the entry-and-exit passenger records system. Early the previous morning, a Chinese man attempting to enter Thailand from Cambodia was injured after entering a minefield. The Thai military blamed Cambodia for the incident, accusing it of continuing to use landmines along the border and endangering soldiers and civilians. According to a report from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces' Military Region 5 Command, Cambodian Border Unit 503, stationed in Chouk Chey village, Ou Bei Choan commune, Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, heard a landmine explosion at 3:20 a.m. on November 29. The report said an inspection found that the incident site was within a Cambodian minefield containing old unexploded landmines left over from years of war. The Defence Ministry reiterated that Cambodia respects and observes international law and has never laid new landmines. It said Cambodia has consistently worked to clear war-era mines to protect lives and safety and promote socioeconomic development, while also actively participating in UN mine-clearance operations.