"A New Humanitarian Burden": Cambodia Denounces Cluster Munitions at Global Conference

PHNOM PENH, September 14, 2026 – Cambodia has taken its condemnation of cluster munitions to the world stage, with Senior Minister Ly Thuch telling a Vientiane conference that the Kingdom is facing a new humanitarian burden nearly 4,000 square kilometres in size—caused by the use of the weapons in 2025.

Addressing the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Ly Thuch, who led the Cambodian delegation, said Cambodia has dedicated more than 33 years to clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war. Over 3,500 square kilometres have been released, and millions of ordnance items destroyed. Yet hundreds of square kilometres remain.

But Cambodia did not expect to restart this work. In 2025, amid the border conflict with Thailand, cluster munitions were used on Cambodian territory and communities, creating nearly 4,000 square kilometres of newly affected areas, with close to 3,000 square kilometres contaminated by cluster munitions. Civilians, especially farmers, have been killed and wounded, and more than 20,000 people remain displaced, unable to return to homes that are rightfully theirs.

"C Cambodia has not yet finished clearing the legacy of past wars, only to face a new humanitarian burden of nearly 4,000 square kilometres," Ly Thuch said, attributing the contamination to the use of weapons by Thai military forces in 2025.

Despite not being a State Party to the Convention, Ly Thuch reaffirmed that Cambodia fully supports its objectives and has never produced or used cluster munitions. The Kingdom stands ready to share its hard-won experience in clearance, risk education, and victim assistance with other affected countries.

— Source: Ly Thuch Official Page

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C1ZnqicYQ/

Reported by The Khmer Today