PHNOM PENH: The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) plans to declare seven provinces and cities in Cambodia, including Phnom Penh, to be mine-free in 2022, after declaring Kep as the first mine-free province in the country.

The Dissemination of the Results of the Study on "Mine Action and Sustainable Development in Cambodia" was jointly organized by the Mine Authority and the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Mine Action (GICHD) on Wednesday, 3 March. The First Deputy Head of the Mine Authority, Senior Minister Ly Thuch, outlined plans to declare seven more provinces and municipalities to be mine-free in Cambodia.

The seven provinces include Phnom Penh, Prey Veng, Kandal, Kampong Cham, Sihanoukville, Ratanakkiri and Takeo.

The Senior Minister also mentioned the fourth phase of the demining project, in collaboration with the Cambodian Mine Action Center, to clear mines in Battambang province. He expressed support for this project because Battambang is a province rich in mines and unexploded ordnances, due to being a prominent battlefield during the war. He further encouraged the extension of this project to other provinces, such as Pailin.

On 28 February 2022, Kep Province was officially declared as the first province in Cambodia to be mine-free after the Royal Government cleared all mines from the land with the financial support of Norway and Hungary, and the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) acting as the primary deminers.

Demining efforts still need to be carried out in mine-affected provinces, such as Prey Veng (3.6 ha), Kandal (6.5 ha), Phnom Penh (125 ha), Kampong Cham (128 ha), Sihanoukville (174 ha), Ratanakkiri (340 ha) and Takeo (363 ha).