On the morning of Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at the Techo Peace Museum conference hall in Siem Reap Province, H.E. Heng Ratana, Delegate of the Royal Government in charge as Director General of CMAC, and Mr. Hans Peter Risser, Country Director of NPA in Cambodia, presided over the opening ceremony of a workshop on 'New Type Cluster Munitions: CMR M-Series.' The workshop will take place over a two-day period, from March 25 to 26, 2026. Participants include 28 technical experts from CMAC and key international partner organizations such as NPA, Golden West, and APOPO.

CMAC and NPA co-organized this workshop to exchange technical experience regarding M-Series cluster munitions resulting from Cambodia-Thailand border conflicts. According to CMAC Baseline Survey reports from 371 villages in six provinces along the Cambodian-Thai border—including Koh Kong, Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, and Preah Vihear, as well as Siem Reap—about 3,600 areas have been marked as affected, covering around 2,360 square kilometers. These cluster munitions were fired into residential villages, farmlands, schools, hospitals, civilian areas, and military positions.

These survey results indicate that roughly 120,000 to 130,000 155 mm artillery projectiles, which are carrying an estimated 6 to 7 million cluster bomblets, were used in the affected areas. These M-Series munitions have also been used in global conflicts such as those in Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. The Baseline Survey has not been completed yet. H.E. Heng Ratana expressed strong optimism that the technical experts and stakeholders will work diligently to identify the strengths and weaknesses in clearing these hazards to restore the livelihoods of citizens, increase public confidence, and further promote socio-economic development.

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