Phnom Penh: China has pledged $2.5-million to support Cambodia’s landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance activities for 2022. The grant was announced Tuesday afternoon by the Director-General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, Mr. Heng Ratana. Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Stung Treng, Siem Reap and Kampong Thom are the targeted provinces for the one-year grant. He says the project aims to clear more than 1,700 hectares of land, as well as boost education activities to raise awareness about landmines.

The CMAC director general expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for the support. According to Mr. Ratana, thanks to Chinese funding in the first half of 2021, nearly 1,083 hectares of land in Cambodia has been cleared of landmines. Over 5,000 mines and other UXO have been destroyed.

Cambodia is one of the world’s most heavily-mined countries, but has set a goal of being landmine-free by 2025. In addition to help from the Chinese government, a host of organisations and NGOs, including the renowned APOPO foundation, are hard at work clearing land of mines, most especially in the country’s northern and western provinces.