AKP Phnom Penh, September 29, 2026 --

The Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, held recently in Vientiane, Laos, strongly condemned any use of cluster munitions by any party under any circumstances, calling for an immediate halt to their deployment and full adherence to international humanitarian and human rights law, according to a Cambodian official.

H.E. Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), made the remarks on Sept. 28, noting the conference’s firm declaration against the use of all types of cluster munitions.

Highlighting the domestic impact, the CMAC chief noted that the deployment of approximately 6 to 7 million M42, M46, and M85 cluster submunitions by Thai forces onto Cambodian territory directly affected Cambodian military and police forces, as well as civilian targets across 349 villages, 335 of which have already been surveyed.

H.E. Ratana added that nearly 300,000 hectares of land have been affected, impacting over 90,000 families – or more than 350,000 people. The ordnance severely damaged civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, health centres, pagodas, farmland, and residential homes, which he described as a clear violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.

By K. Rithy Reak