Liam Cochrane
Last Updated: Fri, 8 Apr 2011 11:01:00 +1000
Landmine expert with unexploded cluster bomblet at Preah Vihear temple hill area, Cambodia, this month. [Stephane De Greef, Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor]Experts visiting the Thai-Cambodia border last weekend found almost half the sites they toured contaminated by unexploded cluster bombs.
Laura Cheeseman, of the Cluster Munitions Coalition, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia officers from two member organisations visited 12 border sites and found the deadly munitions at five of them.
Thailand has admitted using cluster bombs in a skirmish with the Cambodians.
Cluster munitions are bombs that contain smaller bomblets or fragments and are often accidentally detonated by civilians long after battle.
Ms Cheeseman said neither Cambodia nor Thailand has signed an international convention outlawing use of the weapons. In all, 108 countries have signed.
She said of the inspectors' missions: "What they've seen here is areas that still have unexploded sub-munitions on the ground.
Limbs destroyed
"What we're worried about is civilians returning to these areas, which we understand some have, and basically being at risk from the unexploded sub-munitions that are still active and deadly and could kill and injure further civilians."
Coalition members had visited some people injured after the border fighting near the Preah Vihear temple battle site - "including a couple of guys that had been in the hospital who've had their arms blown off".
The Thai ambassador to the UN in Geneva, while reportedly confirming the munitions' use to the Cluster Munitions Coalition, said Thailand used cluster munitions in self-defence when Cambodian forces used heavy rocket fire against civilian targets.
Ms Cheeseman said the coailition wanted Thailand to release information about the bombs it had used, and the locations, so thye can be cleared.
"What we hope Cambodia and Thailand will both do in the near future is to join the convention on cluster munitions.
"This will help ensure that no more cluster munitions are used by either of these countries."
AUDIO from Connect Asia
Cluster coalition's concerns
Created: Thu, 7 Apr10:21:04 EDT 2011
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