Phnom Penh Phnom Penh: Senior Minister Ly Thuch, acting on behalf of Prime Minister Hun Manet, addressed the 25th Anniversary of National Mine Awareness Day on February 22nd, 2024. The event, held in Battambang province under the theme "Together to Eliminate the Dangers of Mines and Unexploded Ordnance in the Community," highlighted the government's ongoing efforts to heal the wounds of conflict and build a brighter future.
The commemoration drew participation from the Battambang Provincial Administration, UNDP representatives in Cambodia, embassies, various ministry and institutional representatives, mine action operators, relevant departments, and national and international development partners, alongside community members, educators, and students.
Ly Thuch lauded Prime Minister Hun Manet as a dynamic and knowledgeable leader who is instrumental in guiding Cambodia towards enhanced development and a brighter future. The Prime Minister's initiatives are geared towards improving the quality of life through the creation of jobs, market expansion, agricultural promotion,
and bolstering the economy, society, education, health, public services, and physical infrastructure development. Furthermore, Hun Manet is credited with continuing the peaceful legacy of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, focusing on alleviating the populace's wartime sufferings, reducing war-related casualties, and enhancing services for mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) victims.
For over three decades since 1992, Cambodia has successfully cleared 3,024 square kilometers of land from the peril of landmines and ERW, significantly decreasing the incidence of related casualties to under 100 annually over the last decade, and to below 50 in the past five years.
Ly Thuch, on behalf of the Cambodian government and its people, expressed gratitude to donor nations, development partners, national and international mine action teams, benefactors, and all contributors for their unwavering support in Cambodia's demining efforts. He also urged all ministries, sub-national administrative institutions, land authorities, mine action operators, and stakeholders to persist in implementing the Prime Minister's directives to address the challenges posed by landmines and ERW in Cambodia.
