Cluster Munition Victims Appeal for Justice as Vientiane Conference Reviews Convention

Phnom Penh— September 15, 2026 — As an international review conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions convenes in Vientiane, Laos, victims of cluster munitions used in Cambodia are appealing to the international community for justice, according to the director of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).

H.E. Heng Ratana said in a statement released Tuesday that the conference, running from September 14 to 18, 2026, is reviewing implementation of the convention, which entered into force in August 2010 and currently has 123 state parties. While Cambodia and Thailand are not state parties, Cambodia has strictly adhered to the principles banning cluster bombs, he said.

“Conversely, the Thai side brutally used cluster munitions against Cambodian troops and civilians, firing approximately 6 to 7 million cluster submunitions through 155MM with around 120,000 to 130,000 projectiles,” Heng Ratana said.

He said cluster munition remnants have caused deaths and injuries to children and civilians in Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces. Based on contamination survey results across 335 villages, 4,244 cluster munition remnant areas—equivalent to 296,096 hectares of residential land, village land, agricultural land, socio-economic land and physical social infrastructure—have been recorded. These affected lands face threats from M42, M46 and M85 cluster bomb types, both now and in the future, he said.

“All victims—including the families of the deceased, the injured, and more than 90,000 affected families—are waiting for justice,” Heng Ratana said. “They earnestly appeal to the international community, especially the State Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to condemn the Thai government and the Thai military, and to take joint action to ensure that those who violated the international law banning cluster munitions are held legally accountable.”

The appeal comes as Cambodia pursues compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UNCLOS in Singapore, where Cambodia has accused Thailand of invading and occupying Cambodian territory during the 2025 border conflict.

Source: CMAC Director H.E Heng Ratana


Reported by The Khmer Daily Network