Senior Minister Ly Thuch, first-vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), met with Deborah Mary Geels, New Zealand’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, on December 3, during which he informed her that Thailand “used the issue of mine explosions as a pretext to invade Cambodian territory”.
“Thuch raised the situation in the border areas and demonstrated Thailand’s intention to use baseless, untruthful and uninvestigated accusations as a reason to attack and invade Cambodia, which has caused suffering to Cambodian people in the border areas,” said CMAA in a social media post.
He expressed his belief that Thailand’s baseless accusations violate the principles of the Ottawa Convention and the spirit of cooperation among the state parties to the convention. Cambodia is ready to provide cooperation and continue to implement existing mechanisms to resolve problems and ensure peace, stability and the safety of its people.
According to the CMAA, Geels expressed her willingness to continue supporting Cambodia in achieving a mine-free future, and praised and highly appreciated Cambodia’s achievements in mine action, making it a leading country in global mine action.
“The New Zealand ambassador expressed regret for the Cambodian people living in the border areas who suffered and faced difficulties due to recent conflicts, and she absolutely opposed the use of heavy weapons, which are contrary to humanitarian law and pose serious risks to civilians,” said the CMAA.
She also encouraged both Cambodian and Thai parties to continue cooperation to maintain peace and improve the livelihoods and living conditions of people in the border areas.
New Zealand supports Cambodia in the “Clearing for Results” project, coordinated by UNDP and the CMAA. During the meeting, Thuch requested that New Zealand continue to support Cambodia until the last landmine is cleared from Cambodian soil.
A day prior, on December 2, Thuch also met with Pamela Moraga, director of the Implementation Support Unit for the Convention on Cluster Munitions, where he reiterated Cambodia’s opposition to the use of cluster bombs, even though it is not a state party to this convention.
He noted that the use of cluster bombs, especially against civilians, is a serious violation of international law and humanitarian principles and must be condemned.
“The use of cluster bombs by the Thai military during the Cambodian-Thai armed conflict of July 2025 caused long-term impacts and danger to the public, especially young children,” said Thuch.
“Even though the situation has eased, the fear of the people continues due to the explosive remnants of war which remain scattered across the land and fields, especially cluster bombs. Recently, a young Cambodian tragically lost their life due to a cluster bomb left behind by this attack,” he added.
He demanded that the Convention on Cluster Munitions strongly condemn those who use cluster bombs and hold them accountable for long-term negative impacts, especially causing harm to civilians.
