National
• 2 hours ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Cambodia, Laos Strengthen Bilateral Ties Ahead of Cluster Munitions Conference in Vientiane
PHNOM PENH — Sept. 14, 2026: Senior Cambodian and Lao officials met in Vientiane on September 13, 2026, to reinforce bilateral relations and coordinate positions ahead of the 3rd Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which opens in the Lao capital from September 14–18.
H.E. Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), led the Cambodian delegation and was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to KPL, the Lao News Agency.
The Lao Deputy Prime Minister welcomed Cambodia's participation and pointed to the close ties between the two neighboring countries and ASEAN members. He also stressed the value of joint cooperation and experience-sharing on explosive ordnance, especially cluster munitions left over from the Vietnam War, according to a post on H.E. Ly Thuch's official Facebook page.
H.E. Ly Thuch thanked Laos for hosting and chairing the conference and restated Cambodia's backing for the humanitarian goals of the convention. He passed on greetings from Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister and President of the CMAA, and from H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Cambodian side noted that more than three decades of clearance work have freed over 3,500 square kilometers of land from mines and explosive remnants of war. As an observer rather than a state party to the convention, Cambodia has still supported its humanitarian aims and cleared substantial numbers of cluster munitions.
Challenges remain. Roughly 600 square kilometers of Cambodian land is still affected by cluster munitions. The 2025 Cambodia–Thailand border conflict added a further burden, with explosive ordnance affecting close to 4,000 square kilometers, nearly 3,000 of which are assessed as contaminated by cluster munitions.
Both sides voiced confidence that the Vientiane conference would deliver concrete results and deepen international action on the humanitarian toll of cluster munitions.
Source: KPL
H.E. Ly Thuch (Facebook)
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
H.E. Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), led the Cambodian delegation and was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to KPL, the Lao News Agency.
The Lao Deputy Prime Minister welcomed Cambodia's participation and pointed to the close ties between the two neighboring countries and ASEAN members. He also stressed the value of joint cooperation and experience-sharing on explosive ordnance, especially cluster munitions left over from the Vietnam War, according to a post on H.E. Ly Thuch's official Facebook page.
H.E. Ly Thuch thanked Laos for hosting and chairing the conference and restated Cambodia's backing for the humanitarian goals of the convention. He passed on greetings from Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister and President of the CMAA, and from H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Cambodian side noted that more than three decades of clearance work have freed over 3,500 square kilometers of land from mines and explosive remnants of war. As an observer rather than a state party to the convention, Cambodia has still supported its humanitarian aims and cleared substantial numbers of cluster munitions.
Challenges remain. Roughly 600 square kilometers of Cambodian land is still affected by cluster munitions. The 2025 Cambodia–Thailand border conflict added a further burden, with explosive ordnance affecting close to 4,000 square kilometers, nearly 3,000 of which are assessed as contaminated by cluster munitions.
Both sides voiced confidence that the Vientiane conference would deliver concrete results and deepen international action on the humanitarian toll of cluster munitions.
Source: KPL
H.E. Ly Thuch (Facebook)
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network