(Phnom Penh): Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen reaffirmed that landmine clearance under the Cambodia–Thailand Peace Deal must be carried out jointly, stressing that Thailand cannot conduct clearance operations unilaterally or use them as grounds for territorial claims.

Samdech Techo spoke on Monday (Nov. 17) during the 33rd National Congress of Buddhist Monks at the National Institute of Education.

“Mine clearance must be conducted jointly. One side cannot go and clear mines alone and then use that as a pretext to encroach on land, absolutely not. President Trump and Prime Minister Hun Manet have already discussed this. If they (Thailand) want to clear mines, they cannot do it as they want. Any area cleared must be done jointly,” Samdech Techo underscored.

He added that mine-affected zones must be jointly identified, warning that unilateral clearance by Thailand would create confusion over which areas still contain mines and which are safe.

It should be recalled that the Cambodia–Thailand Peace Deal was successfully signed on 26 October 2025 by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, under the chairmanship of US President Donald Trump and with participation from the Malaysian Prime Minister, the ASEAN Chair, during the ASEAN Summit hosted by Malaysia.

The peace deal aims to strengthen bilateral relations and reduce border tensions through adherence to the ceasefire, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, joint efforts against cybercrime, joint mine-clearance operations, and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the border. Thailand will also officially release the 18 Cambodian soldiers who were detained after the ceasefire.
=FRESH NEWS