Phnom Penh (FN), July 21 – Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) required $100 million to clear landmines and unexploded ordnances for the next five years, according to Heng Ratana, Director General of Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), speaking at the honor rewarding ceremony for CMAC officials in total of 270 on Friday.

"To clear landmines, CMAC has prepared 10-year rolling plan (2016-2025) to clear 50,000 hectares of landmines and 120,000 hectares of suspected landmines that will require about $100 million in the first five years," stated Heng Ratana.

Director General added that the clearance of landmine in Cambodia has faced certain challenges and constraints, such as the presence of thick forests, hard-soil conditions, mixed minefields, and many buried landmines that would affect the operators.

Over the last 25 years, from 1992 to 2018, CMAC demolished 518,233 anti-personnel mines, 10,667 anti-tank mines, all unexploded ordnances in total of 2,836,837, cleared up more than 956 square kilometers of landmines.

Heng Ratana urged international partners to continue the demining aids for Cambodia in response to the needs of Cambodian people.

Due to Cambodia's recent efforts in the last decades, the accidents resulted from mine and unexploded ordnances have dropped remarkably. Landmine casualties in Cambodia from 2000-2005 accounted for over 800 accidents per year, fell short to 100 accidents per year in 2016-2018.

Despite the dramatic drop in rates, this figure is still higher compared to countries of mine issues. Some victims suffered mine in their farmland. They had no choices but to continue farming to support their livelihoods even though the land has yet be cleared of land mines.

The Royal Government of Cambodia, on July 20, approved a 10% additional budget to support the Cambodian Mine Action Sector.

"Assisting mine action sector is the government's effort to reduce rural poverty," said Ly Thuch, Senior Minister Ly Thuch, 1st Vice President of Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA).

Thanks to peace and political stability, Cambodia’s economy has been among the fastest growing economies, unmatched by any other post-conflict society for the past two decades. Better yet, Cambodia has moved up classification wise into a lower-middle income economy by the World Bank Group in 2016. Cambodia significantly reduced poverty rate to below 10% in 2017 compared to 50% in 1992 and absolute poverty in 1979.

=FRESH NEWS