Tread carefully! It can be sensible advice in everyday life. But a vital seriousness weighs on the same advice if it is said in the Southeast Asian country of Cambodia, which today is still plagued by landmines – three decades after the end of a bloody civil war. The explanation is simple: it is a very slow process to remove mines. Each mine field must be searched thoroughly with metal detectors, and caution is absolutely essential when digging up the mines. Today, the population of Cambodia can nevertheless tread far less carefully than in the past. Because the progress in demining is so great today that it is actually something that is celebrated in the country. On the 21st-22nd Last November, the “30th anniversary of demining” was held in Koh Pich City. During the event in a conference center, an assessment of the hard work and importance of continuing to remove mines was presented. Over the past three decades, 65,000 people have fallen victim to landmines in Cambodia. 19,818 have lost their lives. Far more human lives and/or limbs can still be assumed to have been saved in the same period. The latest statement from the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) shows that 2,531 square kilometers of land – equivalent to 1,703 villages – have now been demined. These are areas that can now be used to build houses, schools, bridges, hospitals, roads and farms. During the demining work, over 1 million so-called anti-personnel mines, 26,000 anti-tank mines and over 3 million pieces of explosive ammunition have been removed. The man behind James Bond: The work is not over On the occasion of Cambodia’s 30th anniversary of demining, actor Daniel Craig, world-renowned for his role as James Bond, has made a statement. Since 2015, he has been the UN’s global ambassador for demining, and he is delighted with the great progress that has been made in Cambodia: – Since demining efforts began in 1992, 30 years ago, over seven million people have benefited from CMAA’s leadership. In my work with the UN, I have been fortunate to see the life-changing effect of the mine actions, he says according to the medium The Phnom Penh Post. Daniel Craig emphasizes that the work is not finished. Over 1 million people in Cambodia still live in areas where they risk falling victim to landmines. Nevertheless, the story of Cambodia and demining is a success story, he explains: – Cambodia has shown that we can overcome the legacy of these deadly killers (mines, ed. note). It is a difficult path, but one that we must all walk together to see an end to the brutality of landmines and explosive munitions, and to ensure that we leave no one behind. Globally: Use of landmines on the rise According to the 2022 edition of the Landmine Monitor magazine, the world has experienced a disturbing rise in the use of landmines over the past seven years – after a decade characterized by reduced use. From mid-2021 to October 2022, Landmine Monitor has confirmed new use of anti-personnel mines in Myanmar and Russia, which are countries that are not parties to the UN Mine Action Treaty against the use of landmines. At least seven types of antipersonnel mines have been used by Russian forces in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022. In addition, government forces in Myanmar have used antipersonnel mines extensively, including around infrastructure such as cell phone towers, mining operations, and pipelines.
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The result after 30 years of targeted demining work in Cambodia: over 1 million mines removed
