National
• 1 hour ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Thai Cluster Munitions Keep Threatening Cambodian Civilians, Officials Warn
PHNOM PENH — Oct. 2, 2026: For communities along Cambodia's border, the war's most dangerous legacy may be invisible — small explosive devices resting in fields and schoolyards, waiting to be found.
Thai cluster munitions continue to endanger Cambodian civilians, officials warned Friday, drawing a direct line between the banned weapons used on Cambodian soil and the destruction of Preah Vihear Temple.
More than 100 countries prohibited cluster munitions under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. According to the ICRC, the weapons disperse hundreds of unguided submunitions over wide areas. Many fail to explode, remaining hidden in fields, streets and schoolyards where they are often mistaken for ordinary objects. They kill and injure civilians for decades after conflicts end.
The warning follows the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Lao PDR, which condemned any use of such weapons by any actor, of any type and in any manner.
Speaking at the 11th Technical Meeting of the ICC-Preah Vihear on Sept. 30, 2026, in Siem Reap, H.E. Heng Ratana, Royal Government Delegate in charge of CMAC, stated that Thai forces dropped bombs, fired artillery and deployed drones against the temple — a World Heritage Site and a monumental work of Khmer ancestors — with clear targets and direction. He said the damage will take enormous time and resources to repair.
Officials stressed that the human cost reaches beyond heritage: unexploded submunitions can remain live for years, threatening farmers, children and families returning to their land.
In a separate statement, H.E. Heng Ratana said every Cambodian has an absolute duty to defend the nation's territorial integrity, particularly Preah Vihear. He said anyone supporting an invader that occupies Cambodian land, destroys villages, kills soldiers and civilians, and demolishes Khmer temples has betrayed the nation.
Source: H.E. Heng Ratana / ICC-Preah Vihear
ICRC
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
Thai cluster munitions continue to endanger Cambodian civilians, officials warned Friday, drawing a direct line between the banned weapons used on Cambodian soil and the destruction of Preah Vihear Temple.
More than 100 countries prohibited cluster munitions under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. According to the ICRC, the weapons disperse hundreds of unguided submunitions over wide areas. Many fail to explode, remaining hidden in fields, streets and schoolyards where they are often mistaken for ordinary objects. They kill and injure civilians for decades after conflicts end.
The warning follows the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Lao PDR, which condemned any use of such weapons by any actor, of any type and in any manner.
Speaking at the 11th Technical Meeting of the ICC-Preah Vihear on Sept. 30, 2026, in Siem Reap, H.E. Heng Ratana, Royal Government Delegate in charge of CMAC, stated that Thai forces dropped bombs, fired artillery and deployed drones against the temple — a World Heritage Site and a monumental work of Khmer ancestors — with clear targets and direction. He said the damage will take enormous time and resources to repair.
Officials stressed that the human cost reaches beyond heritage: unexploded submunitions can remain live for years, threatening farmers, children and families returning to their land.
In a separate statement, H.E. Heng Ratana said every Cambodian has an absolute duty to defend the nation's territorial integrity, particularly Preah Vihear. He said anyone supporting an invader that occupies Cambodian land, destroys villages, kills soldiers and civilians, and demolishes Khmer temples has betrayed the nation.
Source: H.E. Heng Ratana / ICC-Preah Vihear
ICRC
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
