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Germany to provide $1 million for demining

Prathna​​   On February 5, 2020 - 10:04 am​   In Cambodia Insider  
Germany to provide $1 million for demining Germany to provide $1 million for demining

The German government will provide $1 million in aid to support demining in the Kingdom’s northwest.

The assistance was pledged when German Ambassador to Cambodia Christian Berger met on Monday with Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority’s first vice president Ly Thuch at Phnom Penh’s CMAA headquarters.

Mr. Thuch said that the German government agreed to give more than $1 million in assistance this year to clear landmines.

He said that over the last six years, the German government provided more than $6 million for landmine clearances in northwest provinces.

“We thank the German government for supporting Cambodia to build a new future for Cambodians,” Mr Thuch said.

Mr. Thuch said that through German aid, the demining organization Halo Trust will be in charge of clearing anti-personnel mines in the northwest provinces, especially Banteay Meanchey province.

Cambodia needs more funding to achieve a mine-free goal by 2025, he said.

Cambodia recorded 77 landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) casualties in 2019, up 33 percent compared with 58 in the year before, according to the report by the CMAA.

It said that 12 people were killed last year, up from 10 deaths in the previous year, adding that 65 others were either injured or limbs amputated last year, up from 48 in the year before.

According to the report, from 1979 to 2019, landmine and UXO explosions had killed 19,780 people and 45,075 others either injured or have had amputations.

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