Cambodia Urges International Support to Clear Thai-Used Cluster Bombs

Cambodia has appealed to the international community for continued technical and resource support to address the impacts and clear new M-series cluster bomb remnants discovered in the country, believed to have been used by Thailand during border conflicts in 2025. The appeal was made by the Cambodian delegation during the "From Evidence to Action: Advancing Cluster Munition Remnant Survey through Regional Cooperation" event, held on the sidelines of the 3rd Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Laos, from September 14-18, 2026. The event was attended by Deputy Director-General of the Mine Action Authority (CMAC), Ly Thuch, and other relevant officials. According to the research and technical work of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), M42, M46, and M85 submunitions have been identified as M-series cluster bombs newly found in Cambodia, left over from border conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand in July and December 2025. These M-series cluster bombs pose a high risk and danger to life, with the potential to detonate at any time, particularly threatening children and citizens living or working in affected areas. To date, unexploded M-series cluster bombs from the conflict have caused harm to 10 Cambodian citizens. The mine action authorities state that the bombs used by Thailand during its invasion of Cambodia have become a new humanitarian burden for clearance efforts.