59 Killed and Wounded by Land Mines in Seven Months

Phnom Penh– Over the last seven months of 2016, 23 people were killed and 36 others wounded by become handicapped by land mines and Unexploded Ordnances left over from the civil war, according to a report by the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA).

In order to avoid and prevent continued sufferings by land mines and UXOs, the authorities have encouraged responsible and relevant officials to enhance public awareness-raising on the impact of land mines and UXOs particularly among local people in remote areas.

In response to this continued hazard, General Secretariat of CMAA together with the Technical Working Group jointly held a  meeting on August 12, 2016 in Battambang province, about 300km to the west of Phnom Penh with the aim of further raising the awareness among the people of the impact of land mines and UXOs.

The meeting was presided over by Senior Minister Ly Thuch, Secretary General of CMAA, and closed by Senior Minister Sery Kosal, First Deputy President of the Mine Authority, with the participation of many national and international officials working in the fields related to landmines.     

In his closing remark, Senior Minister Serey Kosal encouraged the Technical Working Group to expedite dissemination of the three-year Strategic Action Plan for 2017-2019 ahead of the 15th meeting of the signatories to the Ottawa Convention that is scheduled to take place in November, in Chile, so that the delegates to the meeting would be able to use it as principal document for their efforts to seek further funding support.