(Phnom Penh): A ceremony was held in Koh Kong Province on 01 October 2026 to formally hand over the land cleared under the Quick Impact Project (QIP) “Landmine Clearance in Kaoh Pao Village, Pak Khlang Commune, Koh Kong Province of Cambodia” to the local community.

The handover ceremony was jointly presided by Tep Kallyan, Deputy Secretary General, Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), Y Nearynet, Deputy Governor of Koh Kong Province and Tanu Priya, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, in the presence of representatives of CMAA, local authorities, distinguished officials and community representatives.

Under the QIP, approximately 197,810 square metres of mine-contaminated land in Koah Pao Village have been successfully cleared, directly benefiting around 134 families. The return of this land to the community will provide safe access for livelihoods, farming, housing and other socio-economic activities.

The project reflects India’s longstanding commitment to working with Cambodia in its humanitarian mine-action efforts. Since the early 1990s, India has been collaborating with Cambodia through technical assistance, capacity building and training, provision of demining equipment, gifting of mine detection dogs, support for mine victims and grant assistance for humanitarian demining.

India’s cooperation in this area has further deepened under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Quick Impact Projects framework. Till date,India has approved a total of 75 QIPs in Cambodia, of which 55 have been completed and 20 are at various stages of implementation.

These projects cover priority areas including education, health, sanitation, agriculture, women’s empowerment and humanitarian mine action, in line with the development priorities of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

The handover of the land in Koah Pao Village marks an important milestone in these efforts, returning nearly 200,000 square metres of land to the people of Cambodia for livelihoods, housing and future development.

The Embassy of India appreciates the cooperation of the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, demining personnel, local authorities and all partners involved in the successful implementation of the project.
=FRESH NEWS