The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) backs an initiative of APOPO, an organisation specialised in anti-personnel landmine detection services, to transform minefields in Cambodia into rice fields.
H.E. Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and the CMAA First Vice President, emphasised the support in a meeting with Director of APOPO in Cambodia Mr. Michael Heiman at the CMAA office on June 5.
According to Mr. Michael Heiman, his organisation’s minefields to rice fields project is making the transformation on 10,000 hectares of land in Preah Vihear province.
The work contributes to improving the lives of especially the locals and to Cambodia’s landmine-free ambition, he said.
H.E. Ly Thuch deeply appreciated the initiative, adding that his team may consider establishing a task force to support the initiative through collaboration with relevant ministries and institutions at both the national and sub-national levels.
Mr. Michael Heiman deeply thanked the Senior Minister and updated him about other key achievements of APOPO in Cambodia, including the successful operation of the APOPO Visitor Centre in Siem Reap, which showcases maps of landmine-threatened areas and images of demining operations, particularly those carried out by the trained mine-detecting rats.
