CAMBODIA Preparing To Train Ukrainian Deminers in Phnom Penh

Posted by Asia Views | Dec 16, 2022 | 0 |

PhnomPenhPost-Dec 16, 2022

Cambodia will provide training and share demining experiences with 15 deminers and officials from Ukraine next month in Phnom Penh, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The ministry revealed the plan in a December 15 press statement on the outcome of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s trip to co-host the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit marking the 45th dialogue relations between the two blocs. “Cambodia clearly understands, and places the highest value, on peace and stability in the country. We also try our best to help other countries in the world that are suffering from wars. Cambodia will provide technical training and share its experiences with 15 demining experts and officials from The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) in Cambodia in January next year,” the ministry said.

On December 13, Hun Sen also attended a conference on solidarity with Ukrainian people in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. During the conference, the prime minister shared Cambodia’s experiences and journey from a war-torn nation to one of peace, with freedom, high economic growth, and active member of ASEAN. During his trip to Europe, Hun Sen also the highlighted investment potential of Cambodia to French investors and urged them to come to Cambodia to learn more. He met with the French investor federation—MEDEF International— on December 14 and urged investors to consider such potential sectors as food, pharmaceutical and medicine, manufacture, and the auto industry, according to the press statement. Read more at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodia-preparing-train-ukrainian-deminers-phnom-penh

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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 Preparing To Train Ukrainian Deminers in Phnom Penh

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