Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - CMAA warns residents of flooded areas about mines

CMAA warns residents of flooded areas about mines

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Ly Thuch joins the installation of warning signs of landmine dangers in Pailin province’s Sala Krao district on Tuesday. CMAA

CMAA warns residents of flooded areas about mines

Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), called on government officials at all levels to continue spreading awareness about the dangers of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) whenever meeting with the public in a group setting given the recent flooding in some provinces which may have exposed buried dangers.

Thuch’s appeal came during the installation of a banner on November 2 that is meant to raise awareness about landmines and ERW in Stung Kach commune of Pailin province’s Sala Krao district near the border with Thailand.

The ceremony was also attended by Hem Rithy, deputy provincial governor and other local authorities, officials and members of the public.

“I call on [all government authorities] to continue to spread awareness about landmines and ERW in all public discussions and forums they attend,” he said.

“In particular, it is necessary to make regular reports to the government’s working group in the provinces, towns, districts and communes on any suspected locations of minefields locally for guidance and further action,” he said.

Thuch also urged the police officers working along the border to continue to help people avoid risking their lives by entering areas with an unclear status as to mines and ERW and to absolutely never touch any mines or ERW.

“If people see landmines or ERW, they must immediately report it to local authorities such as their commune chiefs, village chiefs, mine clearance operators or police,” he said.

Thuch also conveyed the condolences and sympathies of the Prime Minister and his wife to the child victims and their families who were involved in the landmine accident on October 30.

Three of the children lived in Koh Kong province’s Botum Sakor district and the other in Pursat province’s Phnom Kravanh district.

“I request that all parents pay close attention to their children’s safety. Parents must instruct their children to be cautious and to stay away from unexploded ordnance and suspected landmines,” he said.

According to the CMAA, Thuch is on a mission to Pailin, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces over November 2-3 to post billboards and educate the public about mines and ERW because those provinces suffered from heavy flooding which churned up the earth and this often exposes previously hidden dangers of this variety.

As of September, Sala Krao district’s Stung Kach commune has cleared 14.5 square km of land by finding and destroying 24,790 anti-personnel mines, 73 tank mines and 89,930 ERW. The uncleared land remaining there is now only 1.6 square km in area, according to CMAA.

According to CMAA’s data, from 1979 to October 2021 the total number of victims of landmines and ERW in Stung Kach commune was 446 – 389 victims of mines and 57 victims of ERW – or 31 per cent of the 1,426 total victims in Pailin province over that period.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to