CAMBODIA: Japan, Cambodia Commit to Work Together For a Mine-Free world

Posted by Asia Views | Jul 8, 2024 | 0 |

KhmerTimes-July 8, 2024

Cambodia and Japan are set to help other countries remove landmines after Japanese Foreign Minister, during a visit to Cambodia, announced that Japan will support Cambodia’s international cooperation on humanitarian mine action with the aim of seeing no more mine victims in the world. On Friday, Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko made her first official visit to Cambodia to “discuss a new approach for the Cambodia-Japan relationship and cooperation with the Hun Manet Administration.” Just a week before her two-day visit, Kamikawa announced during a press conference in Tokyo that one main issue that she will focus on during the visit to Cambodia is facilitating both countries’ efforts and cooperation on mine clearance. On Saturday, during a visit to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), Minister Kamikawa unveiled “Japan’s Comprehensive Package of Assistance to Humanitarian Mine Action.” This initiative outlines Japan’s global vision for humanitarian mine action assistance. As part of this package, Japan will provide aid through a triangular cooperation framework, with Cambodia serving as a central hub while also strengthening cooperation with like-minded countries and international organisations and utilising the latest science, technology, and innovation. Kamikawa reaffirmed that Japan will continue to provide assistance in each of the phases of humanitarian mine actions, including “mine risk education, mine detection and clearance, and victim assistance, in cooperation with stakeholders and bearing in mind the perspective of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325”. The Foreign Minister of Japan also announced the launch of the “Japan-Cambodia Landmine Initiative,” aimed at embodying the comprehensive package in cooperation with Cambodia. Read more at: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501519115/clear-vision-japan-cambodia-commit-to-work-together-for-a-mine-free-world/

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

CAMBODIA: Japan, Cambodia Commit to Work Together For a Mine-Free world

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