A border patrol policeman died after he stepped on a landmine while patrolling the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaew's Ta Phraya district on Sunday.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Sucheep La-oongdee from Border Patrol Police Company 12 was patrolling on foot in a forest with his colleagues when he stepped on a mine about 140 metres from the Cambodian border, the unit commander Pol Col Somchai Suwajasuwan said.
The explosion blew off both his ankles. Pol Sen Sgt Maj Sucheep succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Ta Phraya hospital.
Pol Col Somchai said his subordinates regularly patrolled the area to prevent the smuggling of people and illegal items from Cambodia into Thailand. It was the first time anyone had stepped on a mine of an unidentified type along the patrol route.
Pol Col Somchai said the patrol unit sealed off the area to examine the device and investigate who had planted it.