PHNOM PENH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has cleared about 3,541 square kilometers of landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contaminated land in the last 33 years, from 1992 to 2025, Prime Minister Hun Manet said.
In a message to mark the National Mine Awareness Day on Tuesday, the prime minister said more than 1.2 million anti-personnel mines, 26,700 anti-tank mines and over 3.24 million ERWs were found and destroyed.
"Seventy-eight percent of the cleared land has been used for agricultural purposes, five percent for social infrastructure and 17 percent for housing, villages, schools and health centers, among others," Hun Manet said.
"The number of landmine and ERW casualties had declined from 4,320 in 1996 to only 39 in 2025," he added.
Hun Manet said, despite this remarkable achievement, many square kilometers of land affected by mines and ERWs have not yet been cleared.
He added that the threat from mines and ERWs remained "significant," which would require stronger efforts to achieve a mine-free Cambodia.
Cambodia is one of the countries worst-affected by landmines and 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.
Cambodia's official report showed that from 1979 to 2025, landmine and ERW explosions had claimed 19,845 human lives and either injured or amputated 45,280 others in the Southeast Asian country. ■