The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) has officially declared Kampong Chhnang to be the Kingdom’s 9th mine-free province under the Samdech Techo Project for Mine Action (ST-PMA).

Kampong Chhnang was declared mine-free on March 2 in the presence of CMAA first vice-president Ly Thuch. Also present at the event were parliamentarians, provincial administrators, members of the armed forces, demining operators and victims of mines who are now disabled.

According to Thuch, 2022 marked 30 years of land mine, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clean-up efforts in Cambodia. In the three decades, a total of 2,554sq km of mine fields have been cleared with millions of munitions destroyed.

“Cambodia is the first among all of the countries in the world to do large-scale humanitarian mine clearance work, and we have been recognised internationally as a leading country in clearing landmines and ERWs. Cambodia is ranked number one in the world for having the largest amount of demined land,” he noted.

He continued that Prime Minister Hun Sen has pushed for mine action efforts and the CMAA to prioritise demining work to reach the goal of a mine-free Cambodia by 2025.

“The CMAA will continue cooperating with development partners, demining operators and all relevant parties to fulfill the mission together to achieve the 2025 mine-free vision,” he said.

Kampong Chhnang becomes the ninth first-order administrative region to be declared ‘mine free’, an achievement that has been attributed to the Samdech Techo Project for Mine Action (STP-MA), which was launched in July last year. CMAA

According to the CMAA, in Kampong Chhnang province this year, over 7sq km of land suspected to be contaminated with landmines and UXOs has been cleared.

Demining teams found 2,852 anti-personnel mines, 50 anti-tank mines and 35,428 UXOs, which were all safely destroyed by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).

Thuch called on all residents in Kampong Chhnang province to remain vigilant about the possible risk of ERWs still being present in their area.

He urges anyone who finds UXOs or ERWs to not touch, strike, burn or dig them up and instead throw them away as the munitions can pose a danger to everyone in their vicinity and leave people disabled or dead.

Anything suspicious that they find must be reported immediately to the authorities or demining operators who will arrange for its removal and disposal.

Phnom Penh and the provinces of Stung Treng, Kep, Prey Veng, Preah Sihanouk,Tbong Khmum, Kampong Cham, Svay Rieng and now Kampong Chhnang have officially been declared mine-free thus far.