Cambodia will neither abandon its longstanding mission to clear legacy unexploded ordnance (UXO) nor ignore newly emerging explosive threats, a senior Royal Government official announced Monday.
Senior Minister H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch, First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), made the remarks on behalf of Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet during a Technical Working Group on Mine Action (TWG-MA) meeting held at the Oakwood Premier Phnom Penh.
The meeting was held under the theme “Addressing the Joint Challenges of Past Explosive Remnants of War and New Threats: A Call for Global Action.”
H.E. Dr. Thuch called on relevant ministries, partner nations, donor agencies, mine action operators, and the private sector to maintain unified action against all forms of explosive hazards.
Over the past three decades, Cambodia has cleared more than 3,600 square kilometres of land, returning nearly 75 percent of the cleared area to local populations for agricultural use.
However, the 2025 armed conflict between Cambodia and Thailand generated new explosive threats, primarily cluster munitions across seven provinces.
Preliminary survey results indicate that the newly affected territory exceeds the total remaining uncleared land left from decades of past conflicts.
“Cambodia is facing a dual burden on a single territory: uncleared legacy ordnance and fresh contamination from recent armed conflict,” Dr. Thuch stated, emphasising the need for concurrent international support for both issues.
Dr. Thuch outlined three priority proposals for development partners:
1. Enhance survey operations and impact assessments to map newly affected zones while scaling up Mine Risk Education in border provinces.
2. Sustain support for legacy de-mining, targeting the remaining 1,689 square kilometres of uncleared land from past wars.
3. Expand resource mobilisation, including local private sector participation, to strengthen national ownership and sustainability, noting cleared land directly supports agriculture, construction, and investment.
Minister of Environment H.E. Dr. Eang Sophalleth reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to working with the CMAA, pledging to translate existing memorandums of understanding into operational plans through joint technical workshops.
Initial focus will centre on identifying affected protected natural areas that pose risks to conservation officers and local communities.
H.E. Dr. Eang Sophalleth urged mine operators to integrate environmental safeguards into survey and clearance protocols in compliance with national environmental standards.
For his part, H.E. Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), highlighted ongoing technical challenges, stressing the urgency of strengthening survey capacity and operational response to secure communities and support Royal Government’s mine action efforts.
