(Phnom Penh): On Monday (Aug. 18), Ly Thuch, First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), firmly rejected Thailand’s allegations that Cambodia had planted new mines and stockpiled mines, stressing that such accusations were baseless and politically motivated.
Ly Thuch spoke on Monday (Aug. 18) during a press conference on Thailand's baseless accusations against Cambodia concerning the alleged use of new landmines, and reaffirm Cambodia's position as a State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) at CMAA’s headquarters.
He stated that as a nation heavily affected by landmines, which Cambodia considers as the enemy of the country and its people, Cambodia rejects Thailand’s allegations in their entirety.
“We completely reject the claim that Cambodia has planted new mines. Cambodia already has enough mines within its territory and has no need to plant new ones to harm its people. Mines are our enemy, hated by the Cambodian people. Globally, Cambodia is among the leading countries recognised for its efforts against landmines and its participation with others in banning their use,” the first vice president underscored.
He further clarified that the area where Thai soldiers were injured by mines is a former battlefield from Cambodia’s civil war, where armed groups had heavily mined the ground. The presence of these mines has posed dangers to Cambodian civilians for years, and anyone entering such areas risks the same.
He expressed regret that Thailand has used the landmine issue as grounds for military provocation against Cambodia, thereby violating Cambodia’s sovereignty, despite the two being neighbouring Buddhist countries with trade and mutual relations.
He noted that mine contamination still exists along the border, requiring continued clearance. CMAA has been working with CMAC, with support from Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and UNDP, to implement clearance projects and install warning signs for many years to protect civilians from mine-affected areas.
It should be noted that in the past 33 years, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre has discovered and destroyed 1,203,623 anti-personnel mines, 26,692 anti-tank mines, and 3,222,549 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
As of July 2025, an area of 141 square kilometres has been cleared, resulting in the destruction of 6,405 anti-personnel mines, 125 anti-tank mines, and 25,845 UXOs. The number of mine/UXO victims has decreased significantly from 4,320 in 1996 to only 49 in 2024.
=FRESH NEWS
