Khmer Times –25 Jan 2018
The government of Japan yesterday donated about $8 million to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, to support its demining operations and victim assistance.
Heng Ratana, CMAC general director, met with members of a technical team from the Japan International Cooperation System to review progress on the projects funded by Tokyo and discuss future work.
Mr Ratana posted on his Facebook page that nearly $4 million of the new funding would go directly to operations in Battambang province.
“This money will be used to purchase five demining machines and spare parts, as well as 48 tents to accommodate deminers in the field,” he said.
He added the equipment would arrive in the kingdom in March.
Meanwhile, CMAC and JICS will work together to support the people of Colombia in demining, with Japan providing equipment and CMAC training.
In 2017, CMAC cleared more than 8,636 hectares of land and found and destroyed 37,448 landmines and explosive remnants of war.
Last year the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority reported that the number of casualties caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance decreased in the first 11 months of the year if compared to the same period year in 2016.
Since 1979, a total of 64,713 casualties have been recorded by the Cambodian Mine/ERW Victim Information System.
(http://www.khmertimeskh.com/50104212/japan-donates-8m-to-cmac/)
