Japan Backs Cambodia's Demining Push as Thai Cluster Munitions Raise New Risks

PHNOM PENH — Oct. 6, 2026: Japan is strengthening its support for Cambodia's demining efforts, backing training and technology as the Kingdom tackles both old contamination and new hazards linked to Thai cluster munitions.

From Oct. 2 to Oct. 5, Japanese-backed activities brought together Tohoku University academics, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme, Vietnam's mine action centre and Timor-Leste's National Police, with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The sessions focused on the practical side of risk education — sharing experience, building national capacity and preventing accidents among communities living near contaminated land.

Photo: CMAC
Cambodia's challenge, however, is twofold. Decades of conflict left the country littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance, a legacy that still threatens rural areas. Added to that are cluster munitions and other explosive remnants left by Thai military operations during recent border clashes, which Cambodian authorities say have injured civilians and contaminated further land.

The Cambodian Mine Action Authority has renewed warnings about these dangers, particularly during flooding, when water can shift devices into villages, fields and roads once considered safe. Its advice to the public is simple: report anything suspicious and never touch it.

Source: Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) / Cambodian Mine Action Authority


Reported by The Khmer Daily Network