Landmine clearing plan is another opportunity for Phnom Penh to beg for more donation Cambodia needs 10 more years to clear all land mines

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 4 (Xinhua)-- Cambodia has officially requested donor community to extend another 10 years to clear land mines covering the country,
said a government official.

Leng Sochea, deputy secretary general of the Cambodia Mine Action Authority said Friday that Cambodia made a request to extend another 10 years to clear all land mines in Cambodia at the summit on a mine-free world, which is being held this week in Cartagena, Colombia.

He said that Cambodia, as a signatory to Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, was originally planning to clear all anti-personnel mines by the end of this year, but it becomes unrealistic and needs to adjust the timeline.

However, he said, the Cambodian government's commitment to clear all mines within the next 10 years will again depend on donors' community and Cambodia needs a total of 330 million U.S. dollars.

Casualties caused by land mines are still a worrisome fact for many Cambodians living in northwestern parts of the country, even though the number of casualties has declined year by year.

Cambodia recorded a total casualty of up to 4,320 by mines in1996, but the number fell to 271 in 2008.

Civil war had lasted for nearly three decades in the country since late 1960s.

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