26 July 2010

Countdown to entry into force - Week 14: Thailand

CMC campaign events in Thailand will celebrate the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 August 2010. As a leader on the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, Thailand participated in the “Oslo Process” to negotiate the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions and has expressed concern about the humanitarian consequences of cluster bombs. Despite this support, Thailand has not yet signed the Convention. “South-East Asia is the most heavily affected region from cluster munitions and has spent decades dealing with the effects of landmines and cluster bombs. Thailand has everything to gain and nothing to lose by joining the cluster bomb ban. Thailand’s decision to join would show solidarity with Lao PDR which is providing much needed global leadership on the issue and would positively influence other countries in the region to join the ban,” said Chompoo- Sermsiri Ingavanija of Jesuit Refugee Service Asia-Pacific, a CMC member organisation in Thailand.Thailand stockpiles cluster munitions and although it announced at the Oslo signing conference (where it participated as an observer) that it will not use cluster munitions, Thailand has cited challenges related to the destruction of its stockpiles as the main obstacle to signing. If it joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Thailand would be eligible for international cooperation and assistance to destroy its stockpiles. Thailand is not believed to have used, produced or transferred cluster munitions.Thailand reportedly accumulated US-made cluster munitions, including 500 Rockeye and 200 CBU-71 cluster munitions, at some point between 1970 and 1995. The status and composition of its current stockpile is not known.Thailand’s neighbour Lao PDR, which is it the most heavily bombed country in the world, has ratified the Convention and will host the First Meeting of States Parties from 9-12 November. The Cluster Munition Coalition urges Thailand to sign the Convention without delay and to attend the First Meeting of States Parties.Download letters urging the Kingdom of Thailand to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions:

  • CMC letter urging the government of Thailand to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions
  • Template letter urging the government of Thailand to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Additional information on cluster munitions in Thailand:Country chapter from the May 2009 report, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and PracticeReturn to the CMC countdown page