CMAA Denounces False Claims of Newly Laid Landmines Made by Thai Foreign Minister
CMAA Denounces False Claims of Newly Laid Landmines Made by Thai Foreign Minister
Phnom Penh, 3 December 2025 — Cambodia has issued a firm rebuttal to claims made by Thailand’s Foreign Minister in a Nikkei Asia interview on 1 December, accusing Cambodia of laying “new landmines” along the shared border. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) denounced the allegations as “baseless, unilateral, and contrary to all verified facts,” calling the remarks a politically motivated distortion that undermines humanitarian cooperation.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Cambodia stressed that it has not laid any anti-personnel mines since joining the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention and has upheld more than 30 years of strict compliance with national and international obligations. “No orders, authorisations, or deployments of mines have occurred,” the CMAA affirmed, citing Cambodia’s long-standing record of transparency and leadership in demining.
Historical Contamination Misrepresented
Cambodia emphasized that mine contamination along the border is historic, dating back to conflicts from the 1970s to the 1990s involving multiple armed actors—not a result of any recent actions by Cambodia.
Concerns Over Thailand’s Unilateral Actions
The CMAA expressed deep concern over Thailand’s pattern of unilateral demining activities without consultation or coordination, warning that such actions violate established mechanisms and contradict the humanitarian spirit of the Ottawa Convention.
“Humanitarian mine action must be guided by professionalism, neutrality, and mutual respect—not unilateral actions or political motivations,” the statement said.
Cambodia’s Recognized Global Record
Cambodia highlighted internationally acknowledged achievements in mine action: clearing more than 3,000 km² of land, destroying over 1.2 million anti-personnel mines and 3 million other explosive remnants of war. It noted that Cambodia has never obstructed any neighboring country’s humanitarian work.
Warning Against Politicized Narratives
Phnom Penh accused Thailand of using unverified allegations to:
– Discredit Cambodia’s mine-action achievements
– Undermine its reputation as a committed State Party to the Ottawa Convention
– Create friction among States Parties
– Distract from Thailand’s own past military actions and territorial ambitions along the border
Cambodia further warned that Thailand has previously used landmine narratives as a pretext for border escalation, invoking unilateral map claims and diverting public attention from disproportionate use of force during past clashes.
Call for Neutral, Technical Cooperation
The CMAA urged all partners and States Parties to focus on evidence-based assessment, neutral expertise, and joint mechanisms rather than political rhetoric that risks regional peace and dismantles decades of humanitarian progress.
Cambodia Reaffirms Its Commitment
The statement concludes with a clear commitment: Cambodia will continue to uphold peace, stability, and full compliance with the Ottawa Convention, insisting that mine action remains a humanitarian endeavor—not a tool for political conflict.
