Cambodia Seeks Stronger Cooperation With Germany on Mine Action

GENEVA (Dec. 2, 2025) — Cambodia has asked Germany to deepen cooperation on humanitarian mine action amid ongoing concerns about explosive remnants of war along the country’s border with Thailand.

Senior Minister Ly Thuch, who also serves as first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, held bilateral talks with Stefan Delfs, director of humanitarian mine action at the German Federal Foreign Office.

Ly Thuch thanked Germany for its longstanding support for Cambodia’s peace and development efforts, including assistance for mine clearance programs.

He also praised Germany’s contribution to Cambodia’s yearlong presidency of the Ottawa Convention, saying German backing had helped advance progress on mine action nationwide.

He raised concerns about recent incidents along the Cambodia-Thailand border, saying civilians had been forced to flee military attacks and public infrastructure had suffered significant damage.

Although tensions have eased, he said fear remains high due to cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war scattered across farmland.

He noted that a young Cambodian civilian was recently killed by a cluster munition.
Ly Thuch welcomed Germany’s continued partnership in addressing decades-old contamination and urged Berlin to maintain its support until Cambodia achieves its goal of becoming free from landmines and explosive remnants of war.