Cambodia Shares Demining Experience with Affected Nations

Phnom Penh, October 21, 2010 AKP -

            Cambodia hosted an international workshop on Wednesday with an aim of sharing experience to countries affected by land mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW),

according to Chinese News Agency Xinhua.

            Prak Sokhon, minister attached to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen and Vice Chairman of Cambodia’s Mines Authorities said at the opening of the workshop that he “was pleased, on behalf of the government, to share experience and other valuable knowledge that Cambodia has attained.”

            Among the participants including those coming from Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Columbia, Laos, Yemen and Iraq as well as many other national and international organizations.

            The two-day international workshop focuses on the theme “Mines and Rights to Land in the Context of the Countries Affected by Wars”.

            Cambodia has been sharing demining operation skills with many delegations across the world.

            Cambodian Mine Action Center is known as Cambodia’s leading demining organization, workshop in the key areas of Mine Awareness, Mine Verification, Mine/UXO Clearance, Research and Training and Victim Support.

            Other bodies involves in the projects include Halo Trust, Mine Advisory Group and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

            Cambodia has been a state party to the Ottawa Convention (also known as the Anti Personnel Mine Ban Treaty) since it was ratified in 1999.

            Since 1992, Cambodia has cleared 604 square kilometers and found 890,297 land mines, 20,672 anti-tank mines and 2,017,625 pieces of ERW.

            Prak Sokhon said through these efforts, the number of Cambodian victims have declined from 4,320 in 1996 alone to only 244 in 2009.--AKP