Cambodia has requested that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) help train workers in the Kingdom in how to use nuclear technology for the development of the agriculture and health sectors.

The request was made following a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and IAEA director general Yukiya Amano on Tuesday at the Peace Palace, said Eang Sophalleth, personal assistant to Hun Sen.

According to Sophalleth, Hun Sen also asked for help drafting a law on nuclear energy for the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

“Cambodia does not have any ambitions to use nuclear technology for nuclear power,” Sophalleth quoted Hun Sen as saying to Amano.

Amano, for his part, told Hun Sen that nuclear technology can be harnessed to improve agricultural production and within the health sector, according to Sophalleth. Among the common applications are the use of radiation to improve crop yield and in medical diagnostics and cancer treatment.

“My visit to Cambodia this time is to learn about the expectations about the use of nuclear technology. It is up to the government whether to use this technology, but IAEA will assist Cambodia in this sector [if it so desires],” Sophalleth quoted Amano saying to Hun Sen.