25/07/2025
To:
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Human Rights Watch
The ASEAN Secretariat
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
The Convention on Cluster Munitions Implementation Support Unit
Subject: Urgent Appeal to Address Thailand’s Use of Cluster Munitions and Military Aggression Against Cambodia
Date: July 25, 2025
From: On behalf of the Citizens of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Representatives, and Global Human Rights Advocates,
We, the Cambodian people, urgently appeal to the international community regarding the escalating acts of military aggression committed by the Kingdom of Thailand along the Thai-Cambodian border. Most alarming is the confirmed use of cluster munitions—a prohibited weapon under international humanitarian law—against Cambodian territory and civilian-inhabited areas.
On the morning of July 25, 2025, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense of Cambodia, Ms. Mali Sujeata, announced in an emergency press briefing that Thai military forces have begun deploying cluster bombs in a calculated and indiscriminate attack inside Cambodian soil. This act is not only a blatant violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty, but it also constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law, including the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the principles of international customary law governing armed conflict.
Ms. Sujeata stated clearly:
“The use of such weapons not only reflects the inhumane and ruthless nature of Thailand’s invasion but also reveals their utter disregard for international humanitarian norms. The deployment of cluster bombs, which pose long-term threats to civilians and the environment, is a war crime under international law and a direct attack on regional peace and stability.”
These weapons, designed to saturate large areas with explosive submunitions, often fail to detonate on impact, leaving behind hidden killers for years. Their use has caused devastation in past conflicts and is globally condemned due to the indiscriminate harm they inflict on civilians, particularly children.
We urgently and respectfully demand the following:
1. Immediate investigation by international monitoring bodies into the use of cluster munitions and the incursion of Thai forces into Cambodian territory.
2. Public condemnation by the United Nations, ASEAN, and international human rights organizations regarding Thailand’s actions.
3. Deployment of peace-monitoring observers to the conflict-affected areas to prevent further violations and to safeguard civilians.
4. Accountability measures, including international sanctions and legal actions, if war crimes are confirmed.
5. An urgent Security Council session to address this escalating regional threat and mediate a ceasefire agreement.
Cambodia has consistently sought peace and regional harmony. However, we cannot remain silent in the face of aggression, nor allow our people and our cultural heritage to be targeted without consequence. The people of Cambodia seek justice, protection, and urgent diplomatic intervention to end the bloodshed and preserve peace in Southeast Asia.
We count on the conscience and leadership of the global community.
With hope and conviction,
On behalf of the People of Cambodia,
Eng Leaphea
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
July 25, 2025
