Cambodia Faces Worsening Cluster Bomb Impact from Thailand - 6 to 7 Million Bomblets Scattered

Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), informed high-ranking officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross, including Alain Aeschlimann, that the quantity of cluster bombs used by Thailand during its war with Cambodia exceeds even that used by Israel in the Lebanon war in 2006, potentially reaching 6 to 7 million bomblets. This makes it the largest deployment of such munitions globally. During a meeting at CMAC headquarters, Heng Ratana stated that Thailand used new series cluster bombs, including types M42, M46, and M85, with an estimated 6 to 7 million bomblets scattered across 335 villages in Cambodia, contaminating residential areas and farmlands. This figure significantly surpasses the 4 million cluster bombs used by Israel during the 2006 Lebanon-Israel conflict. He also noted that the number of cluster bombs dropped on 14 villages in the frontline areas has not yet been accounted for. Heng Ratana added that the widespread scattering of Thai cluster bombs has impacted schools, villages, pagodas, farmlands, and public civil infrastructure. He asserted that this was Thailand's deliberate intent to "create a humanitarian crisis and pose a serious economic threat to Cambodia," characterizing it as an act that "violates international conventions prohibiting the use of cluster bombs." Source: CEN Cambodia