DPA
Phnom Penh - An organization that campaigns against the use of cluster munitions said Wednesday that Thailand had admitted using the banned weapons during February's border clashes with Cambodia.
The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) said Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva confirmed his country had fired cluster munitions.
Thai officials were not available Wednesday to verify that claim.
CMC said the confirmation meant that Thailand had become the first to use the weapons since the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions was finalized.
'It's appalling that any country would resort to using cluster munitions after the international community banned them,' said CMC director Laura Cheeseman, adding that Thailand had been a leader in the movement to ban landmines.
In February, Cambodia accused Thailand of firing cluster munitions during border clashes near the flashpoint temple of Preah Vihear. The temple was awarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962.
CMC subsequently inspected five areas inside Cambodia and found evidence of cluster munitions. The Thai ambassador had claimed the banned weapons were used 'in self-defence' and in compliance with military codes of conduct, the organization said.
'The mess needs to be cleared up now before any more accidents occur, and therefore we need information from Thailand on the number, kind and the locations (they were fired into),' said Sister Denise Coghlan, a CMC leader in Cambodia.
Heng Ratana, the director-general of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), the government agency tasked with ridding the country of landmines and explosives from decades of conflict, said they were worried about 'the 4-5,000 families who will return to their communities and will be affected by cluster munitions on the ground.'
Heng Ratana said CMAC would survey the seven contaminated sites this month, and hoped international assistance would be forthcoming to clear the area.
Meanwhile, he said, CMAC had put up posters in schools and on trees to warn residents of the danger. At least two policemen were killed and several others injured by a cluster bomb in February.
Neither Cambodia nor Thailand has signed the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling and use of the weapons, and which came into force in August 2010. The treaty has been signed by 108 countries and ratified by 55.
13 comments:
Its an "open secret" that Thailand used Cluster munition!
Caesar Howitzer with OGRE Weapon System.
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/caesar/
Ogre dispenses 63 bomblets, each fitted with a self-destruct mechanism. The bomblets are capable of penetrating more than 90mm of armour. A salvo of six Ogre shells releases 378 bomblets to saturate an area of 3hectare at a range of 35km.
Thai Soldiers are joking that:
Khmer do not like Caesar Salad!
Within minutes the Thai Army destroyed all Khmer Weapon Systems around Preah Vihear.
The son of Hun Sen who is the Army Commander in Preah Vihear got a shock when he saw with this own eyes the fire power of the Thai Army.
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 10,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 10,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 10,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 10,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
The sissy thai soldiers thought they could easily push Cambodians out the area.
Now it is clear they resort to use everything they have, including cluster bombs, to get Cambodians out.
Pay back time is coming Thai suckers!!
The US should stop selling these dirty bombs to the irresponsible Thai dogs.
Someone need to lobby the US gov't to stop selling weapons to the Thailand.
I am sick of Thailand! What a terrible thing they have done to Cambodia!
5:29 PM
Anonymous said...
The US should stop selling these dirty bombs to the irresponsible Thai dogs.
Please!!!
Comments like this let other People laugh about Cambodian people and they look down on us!!!
Impossible that the US did sell this weapon system to Thailand as this system is produced in France.
Read the Link above this System and you will see that France produced it and not the US.
No wonder that people from other countries look down on us and say that we are all stupid.
We, Cambodians love our troubles to come in multiple. Thanks Siam for supplying us with your generosity!
Grave
Use up the weapons so the rich investors can get richer in their investment in their death/destruction stock index.
Well, somebody is death-finetly getting wealthy when each explosion occur.
War= wealth
Chinese must declare war on Vietnam to take a piece of CAMBODIA and don't let the Vietnamese take over CAMBODIA. Chinese must testing their new weapons over Vietnam, first try a nuclear bomb in Hanoi and Saigon.
Thai has done nothing to hurt Cambodian. Vietnamese are killing and taken over Cambodia and Khmer people are ignoring it. What Khmer people thinking?
Thailand doesn't respect International law and humanrights. Do many Thai officials come from forest? if we've known many Thai armys they've used ugly stick to refugees in 1980s took the victims and threw them down from Dangrek mountain. Not too long will be your turn!
There are many rudest Thai idiots, Yuon idiots and CPP Yuon idiots who talked shitting on Cambodian/Khmer people. Those idiots are not human beings. They looked down on Cambodian people just because they are successful, have power and more money. They are crooks who have stolen or looted everything from Cambodia for centuries until today.
Those idiots are ridiculous and have always insulted Cambodian people because of the small country.
It is not fair to Cambodian people.
Well...Since Cambodia has not signed the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions and the next round of military conflict with the Siem military thugs and Cambodian military must retaliate with cluster bombs!
If Cambodian military determine to stop Siem military thugs naked aggression and they have to upgrade their fire power by using cluster bombs and to cause maximum damages and casualty the same way the Siem military thugs have used cluster bombs to inflict maximum damages and casualty on Cambodia!
To win the war Cambodian must use the same fire power and the similar weapon!
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