Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa has sought Japan’s backing to use the Ottawa Convention’s mechanism to prosecute Cambodia for repeatedly deploying landmines against Thai troops.
Japan to chair Ottawa Convention in December
Maris said he had spoken with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, who will chair the Ottawa Convention in December, to request his support in taking action against Cambodia for breaching the treaty.
The Ottawa Convention, formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, aims to eliminate anti-personnel landmines worldwide. Also called the Mine Ban Treaty, it prohibits the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, and transfer of such mines. The ban applies to devices designed to be detonated by the presence, proximity, or contact of a person, which often cause severe civilian harm long after conflicts have ended. The treaty does not cover anti-vehicle mines.