Phnom penh: The Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) has in a statement expressed its grave concern and strong condemnation of Thailand's deliberate use of toxic military smokes and obscurants in its recent military aggression against Cambodian sovereign territory.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, these actions have caused harm to the Cambodian civilian population, endangered public health, and inflicted damage to the natural environment and cultural heritage sites, including the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The CHRC emphasized that Thailand's actions represent a violation of international law and an affront to the principles of humanity and peace upheld by the United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms. Such actions breach multiple international legal instruments, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention, the Geneva Conventions, the Geneva Protocol (1925), and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The CHRC highlighted the breach of fundamental rights of Cambodian civilians, particularly the Right to Life as per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Right to Health under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Right to a Safe, Clean, and Healthy Environment recognized by the UN Human Rights Council Resolution and the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.
In response to these violations, the CHRC called upon the international community to condemn Thailand's actions, demand the cessation of any chemical or toxic agents used against Cambodia, and ensure the protection of civilians, cultural heritage, and the environment as per international humanitarian and human rights law. The CHRC concluded by urging global support for Cambodia to uphold justice, peace, and the rule of law in the face of these violations.