PHNOM PENH, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday launched a mine action project with financial support from the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund.
The LMC Special Fund, initiated by China in March 2016, aimed to support small- and medium-sized cooperation projects proposed by the six LMC countries.
Ly Thuch, a senior minister and first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), said the "Lancang-Mekong Cooperation in Mine Action" project served as another shining example of China's commitment to regional peace and development.
"This project will directly benefit 723 families through land clearance and 55,111 families across the targeted districts through enhanced safety and development opportunities," Thuch said at the launch event in Phnom Penh.
"Under China's Global Security Initiative, mine action has become a flagship of regional cooperation, showing the world how great powers can contribute to lasting peace through practical, life-saving action," he added.
The 10-month project, with a fund of 430,089 U.S. dollars, will be carried out in three districts in southeastern Svay Rieng province.
Thuch said each mine cleared with Chinese assistance represents a child who can walk safely to school and each safe hectare represents a family that can farm without fear.
"Each trained deminer represents enhanced Cambodian capacity to protect our own people, and each cleared village represents a step closer to national reconciliation and lasting peace," he said.
He added that China has not merely helped Cambodia clear mines, but also helped the kingdom clear the path to prosperity, peace, and national dignity.
"China's unwavering support and genuine friendship have helped Cambodia rise from conflict to become a proud, developing nation with a bright future," he said. "We will never forget China's role in our national transformation."
Cambodian Foreign Ministry Secretary of State Meas Kim Heng, chairman of the National Secretariat of Cambodia for LMC, said this was the first time the CMAA has received funding from the LMC Special Fund for mine clearance operations.
"I firmly believe that this project will play an important role in contributing to Cambodia's mine-free goal," he said.
Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs). An estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and other munitions had been left over from three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998.
A CMAA's report showed that from 1979 to April 2025, landmine and ERW explosions had claimed 19,840 lives and maimed 45,264 others.
The Southeast Asian country is committed to clearing all types of landmines and ERWs by 2030. ■
