BANTEAY MEANCHEY: Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the Minister of Economy, Aun Pornmoniroth, to prepare a budget to expedite the demining process in Cambodia.

Speaking on the morning of National Fish Day in Banteay Meanchey province on Friday, 1 July 2022, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that this decision is to help ease the difficulties of waiting for help from donors as Cambodia plans to clear all mines in the country by 2025. Cambodia has, at the same time, also started a campaign to declare officially mine-free provinces.

He said, "Now, like in Kep, we have declared it a mine-free province. In some places, we only need $50,000 [to achieve this], [but] it is very difficult to ask from abroad! Now put [demining] in the national budget to [finish clearing mines] from some places that are almost empty, but where there is just a lack of money. The demining force consists of the CMAC, other operational forces, such as Army Engineering, Army Corps, Army Command, and the army as well as overseas peacekeeping operations. We use that money to clear mines and make those areas mine-free for the safety of our people."

The Prime Minister also urged the private sector to join the Royal Government’s efforts in clearing mines in Cambodia.

During the National Fish Day event organized at Trapeang Thmor Reservoir, Trapeang Thmor Village, Poi Char Commune, Phnom Srok District, Banteay Meanchey Province, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the Governor of Banteay Meanchey Province to cooperate with demining experts to clear all mines from Phnom Srok District by the end of 2022 as well.

In the past nearly 30 years of humanitarian demining work in Cambodia, from 1992 to December 2021, Cambodia cleared 2,328 square kilometers of land from mines, destroy 1,118,810 anti-personnel mines, 25,952 tanks and explosive remnants of war, including 2,983,416 cluster munitions, benefiting 7,732,536 people.

^{PHOTO: ហ៊ុន យុទ្ធគុណ}