Cambodia Reports Thai Cluster Bombings, Potentially World's Highest

Heng Ratana, Director-General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), informed Alain Aeschlimann, a senior official from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), that the quantity of cluster bombs used by Thailand during past conflicts with Cambodia may exceed that used by Israel in the Lebanon War in 2006, potentially making it the largest in the world. During a meeting at CMAC headquarters, Ratana explained that the cluster bombs used by Thailand were of newer models such as "M42," "M46," and "M85," with an estimated quantity of 6 to 7 million submunitions. He stated that these bombs are scattered across residential areas and farmlands in 335 villages throughout Cambodia, a significantly larger scale compared to the 4 million cluster bombs used by Israel in Lebanon in 2006. "The scale of the new series cluster bomb problem occurring in our homeland, Cambodia, is the largest in the world," Ratana declared. He added that this report does not yet include the number of cluster bombs dropped in 14 villages in front-line areas. Furthermore, Ratana condemned Thailand's dispersal of cluster bombs, which have fallen on schools, residential areas, pagodas, farmlands, and public infrastructure. He asserted that this action by Thailand was intended to "create a humanitarian crisis and pose a serious economic threat to Cambodia," and constitutes "a violation of international conventions prohibiting the use of cluster bombs." There has been no immediate response from the ICRC regarding this issue. Ratana urged the ICRC to continue actively supporting Cambodian refugees in their return to their homes and to press Thailand to take responsibility for the brutal acts that destroyed the homes and crops of displaced persons. He also requested the ICRC to strongly encourage Thailand to strictly adhere to international conventions prohibiting the use of cluster bombs and chemical weapons/agents.