KhmerTimes-July 27, 2026

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) has cleared nearly 1,500 hectares of land to enable displaced families to return home and identified more than 387,000 hectares contaminated by explosive remnants of war (ERW) from Thai military attacks during the first half of 2026, pointing to the scale of the contamination threat along the Cambodia-Thailand border.

CMAC Director-General Heng Ratana posted the center’s first-semester achievements report on his Facebook page yesterday.

CMAC conducted an extensive baseline survey of ERW contamination across war-affected areas in seven provinces: Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, Siem Reap and Koh Kong. The survey covered 22 districts, 60 communes and 335 villages, Ratana said. The findings identified 265 bomb strike sites covering an estimated 4,800 hectares, about 3,860 cluster munition strike sites covering more than 262,500 hectares, and around 1,400 other sites contaminated by Thai UXO covering about 119,900 hectares. CMAC estimated that the Thai armed forces fired about 120,000 to 130,000 rounds of 155mm cluster artillery shells containing around 6 million to 7 million M42, M46 and M85 cluster submunitions, with an estimated failure rate of 25% to 30%. In total, the survey identified about 5,350 Thai ERW-contaminated locations covering more than 387,200 hectares with more than 18,500 pieces of evidence recorded. The baseline survey has not yet been completed in 14 villages and the entire frontline combat zone along the Cambodia-Thailand border. To support displaced families returning home, CMAC prioritized the clearance of key locations. Its demining operations cleared land for 5,911 houses covering nearly 1,455 hectares, 87 school sites covering 154 hectares, 20 health centers, six monasteries and 114 other infrastructure sites.

The Thai military launched two major assaults against Cambodia, in July and December last year, using airstrikes, artillery and drones in attacks along the border. Read more at:

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501950632/cmac-reports-387000ha-contaminated-by-thai-explosives/