Cambodian King, Queen Mother donate $1.5 mn to govt for mine clearance work

Phnom Penh, July 26 Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and his mother, former Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk have donated a total of $1.5 million to support the government's mine clearance activity.

In two separate letters to Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen dated on Saturday and released to the media on Monday, King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monineath decided to donate $500,000 and $1 million, respectively to the "Samdech Techo Project for Mine Action".

"I would like to add to the government's efforts by donating $500,000 to help deal with the landmine issue in Cambodia," the king wrote in a letter.

In another letter, Queen Mother Monineath wrote she contributed $1 million to support the government's efforts to address the landmine issue in the kingdom, Xinhua news agency reported.

Prime Minister Hun Sen established the "Samdech Techo Project for Mine Action" fundraising drive on July 4. So far, the campaign has raised more than $20 million from local donors, according to the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authorities (CMAA).

Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). An estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and other munitions have been left over from three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998.

According to Yale University, between 1965 and 1973, the US had dropped some 230,516 bombs on 113,716 sites in Cambodia.

CMAA's first Vice-President Ly Thuch said from 1992 to date, the country had cleared 2,410 square km of landmine/ERW contaminated land, destroying more than 1.1 million anti-personal mines, more than 26,000 anti-tank mines and nearly 3 million ERWs.

However, the Southeast Asian country still needs to clear the remaining 716 square km of land contaminated by mines and ERWs, he added.

Thuch said throughout Cambodia, around 1 million people still live in fear and work in areas contaminated by mines and ERWs and that the kingdom is committed to getting rid of landmines and ERWs by 2025.

"To achieve this mine-free goal, we need a budget of at least $90 million," he added in a press conference earlier in July.

According to the CMAA, from 1979 to June 2022, landmine and ERW explosions claimed 19,818 lives and either injured or amputated 45,186 others.