(Phnom Penh): On Monday (Jul. 28), the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) expresses its grave concern and strong condemnation of Thailand’s deliberate use of toxic military smokes and obscurants in its recent military aggression against Cambodian sovereign territory.

“These unlawful actions have caused severe harm to the Cambodian civilian population, endangered public health, and inflicted irreparable damage to the natural environment and sacred cultural heritage sites, including the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” according to the statement seen by Fresh News on Monday (Jul. 28).

“Thailand’s use of toxic military smokes and obscurants constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and an affront to the principles of humanity and peace upheld by the United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms. Such actions breach multiple international legal instruments, including the Chemical Weapons Convention (Article I), the Biological Weapons Convention, the Geneva Conventions, the Geneva Protocol (1925), the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 8), and the following fundamental rights of Cambodian civilians, especially:

• The Right to Life as enshrined in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

• The Right to Health under Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

• The Right to a Safe, Clean, and Healthy Environment recognized by the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 48/13, and Article 28 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

In light of these serious violations, the CHRC calls upon the international community to:

1. Strongly condemn Thailand’s use of toxic military smokes and obscurants as a breach of international law;

2. Demand the immediate cessation of any chemical or toxic agents used by Thailand against Cambodia;

3. Ensure the protection of civilians, cultural heritage, and the environment in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.

We urge the international community to stand with Cambodia in the face of these grave violations and to uphold justice, peace, and the rule of law.”
=FRESH NEWS