Mine-Free Cambodia Extended to 2030

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By:
- Teng Yalirozy
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January 16, 2025, 5:30 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia has extended its goal of being landmine-free by five years to 2030, the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) says.
About 15 provinces have been declared landmine-free so far and the new goal is deemed achievable.
Cambodia has previously set a goal to become a mine-free country by 2025. Still, Heng Ratana, Director General of CMAC, said Cambodia needs another five years to wipe out anti-personnel landmines.
“The mine clearance effort is postponed until 2030. We cannot achieve the status by 2025,” CMAC director-general Heng Ratana said.
“We are the state member of the international convention [the Ottawa Convention], under which we have a five-year term to achieve the action plan. We will request another five years.”
Cambodia launched a National Mine Action Strategy for 2018−2025 in May 2018, which set eight goals for clearance of mines, cluster munition remnants (CMR) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).
The first goal was to release all known mined areas by 2025 through the planned release of 110 square kilometers of cleared land a year from 2020.
The UN backed the government’s strategy to clear all mines by 2025. The mine-free target has been added to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2024, CMAC cleared 1,256 minefields and UXO fields. This is equivalent to nearly 200 square kilometers, and 99,874 mines and UXOs of all types were found and destroyed.
“We are optimistic that we can achieve it as a huge amount of landmines has been released,” Ratana said.
Cambodia has been badly affected by mines and explosive remnants of war. From 1992 to 2023, CMAC cleared 3,024 square km of contaminated land, finding over 4 million explosives that helped 12 million people. The Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) says explosions killed 19,822 people and hurt 45,215 from 1979 to 2023.
Dog Training for Mine Clearance and Security
CMAC has joined hands with the Interior Ministry to provide dog training techniques for drug detection and security, having signed a five-year MOU to train dogs for all types of explosive weapons and drug problems.
Five years ago, Heng Ratana said CMAC and the National Police Force signed the first MOU, cooperating in providing information and facilitating the discovery and destruction of tens of thousands of mines and explosive remnants of war.
“So, this MOU, in addition to work on providing training and awareness raising on mines, will add up more in dog training techniques for ensure security and tackle drug issues,” he said.
Dog handling training is crucial for monitoring explosive weapons and drug issues in Phnom Penh and provinces, targeting tourist areas, economic zones, development zones, border crossings, and high-risk areas, Ratana said.
“The previous work together was a success,” he said. “When there is a report, we respond for free and collect approximately 10,000-30,000 landmines per year. Education was also provided, teaching 1.8 million to 2 million people about self-defense.”
Ratana said that CMAC trains dog skills in security and social order work, including anti-terrorism, anti-protest, public security, border patrol, and social work, while researching anti-COVID-19 and anti-drug dogs.
CMAC has 144 trained dogs. In 2025, CMAC has a plan to breed another 100 dogs, making the organization able to provide dogs for anti-terrorism and bodyguards for the Interior Ministry and Prince Security Services, as well as supplying to some countries such as Azerbaijan, Central Africa, Turkey, Colombia, and several international organizations.
In 2024, CMAC trained 1,156 volunteer police officers in eight provinces to train in a community-based mine and explosive remnants of war reduction program, clearing 247,514 mines and explosive remnants nationwide.
