Cambodia is a country located in Southeast Asia that has a major problem with landmines, especially in rural areas. This is the legacy of three decades of war which has taken a severe toll on the Cambodians; it has some 40,000 + amputees, which is one of the highest rates in the world. [1] The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) estimates that there may be as many as four to six million mines and other pieces of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia. [2] Some estimates, however, run as high as ten million mines. [3]
The Chinese-made landmines in Cambodia were placed by the Cambodian factions (including the Lon Nol, Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin and Hun Sen regimes, as well as the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea who, with international support retained the UN seat throughout much of the 1980s) which clashed during the Civil War in Cambodia in the 1970s and 1980s. The Dangrek genocide in June 1979 was in great part due to civilian victims crossing over landmines placed along the border by Thai, Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge contingents. They were placed in the whole territory of the country. A common problem Cambodians faced with the anti-personnel mines is that even those who placed the mines didn't have maps or memory of their location.[ citation needed ]
While many mines were placed with the sole intent to harm humans, some were placed with the intent to protect an area. Many sacred temples were surrounded by land mines to protect them from looting, which used to be a major problem. The CMAC (Cambodia Mine Action Center) has cleared many of these areas and put up signs stating their work in previous minefields.
2010 casualty statistics from the Cambodian Mine Victim Information Service (CMVIS) show that Cambodia had one of the highest casualty rates in the world. [2] As of November 2017 [update] the number of casualties in 2013 was 111, consisting of 22 persons killed and 89 injured. [4] One-third of the casualties have been children, and almost all of them are boys, with studies showing that men and boys tend to be more willing than women to play with or examine explosives. [5] Of surviving landmine victims, 87% are males over 15 years old, with a mean age of 28 years. In Afghanistan, 73% are males between ages 16 to 50, and 20% of the victims are male children." [6]
"ICRC statistics claim that only 25% of mine victims arrive at hospital within 6 hours of being injured with 15% having to travel for more than 3 days before they reach a hospital." [6] During the first half of 2016, the number of people killed in landmine incidents nearly doubled, with 20 deaths compared to 11 for the same period in 2015, though injuries declined by almost half, from 55 to 29. [7]
The high numbers of victims of working age affecting entire families represent a considerable burden on families' capacity for raising income and educating their children. The social consequences of land mines which Cambodia experiences poses a considerable social and economic problem. It exposes the vulnerability of the health system and the lack of a support strategy. For a family with a very low income, to have a member lose a limb and no access to good health care, and no governmental aid makes the dangers of land mines a much heavier burden on the Cambodian community. "Landmines, just by their sheer number alone in a particular area, can influence the population's behaviour. This in turn may result in an overall deterioration of public health and other aspects of social wellbeing. Farmers with mines, or those who only "perceive" the presence of landmines on their land will not be able to cultivate the land. This will lead to food scarcity and eventually even malnutrition." [6]
The National Level One Survey in Cambodia conducted in 2002 found that 20% (2,776 out of 13,908) of all villages in Cambodia are still contaminated by minefields and/or cluster bomb areas with reported adverse socio-economic impacts on the community. [8] These adverse impacts included restrictions on access to agricultural land, pasture land, forests, and water resources, with 102,778, 105,707, 172,878 and 84,588 families being affected respectively. [9]
A 2004 Cambodia Socio Economic Survey (CSES) noted that households headed by someone with one or more reported disabilities have significantly less wealth than other households. Households headed by a person disabled by war or landmines live in poverty at levels almost three times higher than if the disability was due to other causes. [10]
As of 2019 [update] , there are seven demining organizations working in Cambodia: [11] The Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), established by the Supreme National Council of Cambodia in 1992, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), The HALO Trust, and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). [4] [ dead link ] The Cambodian Mine Action Authority or Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) was established in late 2000 as a regulatory authority to coordinate all demining, and establish policies and procedures. [2] : 4 Finding the location of the mines with no witness or map record is a very difficult task that needs very specific tools, and demands a lot of time, and trained staff, and therefore also a lot of investment. Currently,[ when? ] most of the remaining mines are frequently found in the fields. Nowadays identifying the areas with mines and clearing them is carried out in the North West of the country, where most of the remaining mines are found. [4] [ dead link ] APOPO, a Belgian non-governmental organization which uses rats to detect landmines also joined the demining efforts in 2014.
In 2003, CMAA estimated that the combined cost for demining operations, including technical assistance and in kind contributions for Cambodia were about $40 million per year. [12] Experts estimated that Cambodia would need another 10 to 20 years to clear the mines if the current level of funding was maintained. [4] [ dead link ]
On the same year, landmine-detection dogs were deployed by the CMAC, with technical and financial assistance from the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA). These highly trained animals however are being infected with parasites including fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes which often lead to the dogs' death or early retirement, a problem both the government and private groups and trying to solve. [13]
African giant pouched rats are being used to help in demining efforts. Since 2016, APOPO's hero rats have found roughly 500 anti-personnel mines and more than 350 unexploded bombs in Cambodia. [14]
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations whose stated objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives.
The HALO Trust is a humanitarian non-government organisation which primarily works to clear landmines and other explosive devices left behind by conflicts. With over 10,000 staff worldwide, HALO has operations in 28 countries. Its largest operation is in Afghanistan, where the organization continues to operate under the Taliban regime that took power in August 2021.
Unexploded ordnance, unexploded bombs (UXBs), and explosive remnants of war are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, sometimes many decades after they were used or discarded. When unwanted munitions are found, they are sometimes destroyed in controlled explosions, but accidental detonation of even very old explosives also occurs, sometimes with fatal results. A dud is an unexploded projectile fired in anger against an enemy, but which has failed to explode. A projectile not fired in anger but which has failed to explode is called a 'blind'.
Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By contrast, the goal of humanitarian demining is to remove all of the landmines to a given depth and make the land safe for human use. Specially trained dogs are also used to narrow down the search and verify that an area is cleared. Mechanical devices such as flails and excavators are sometimes used to clear mines.
Minefields in Croatia cover 258.00 square kilometres of territory. As of 2020, the minefields are located in 45 cities and municipalities within 8 counties. These areas are thought to contain approximately 17,285 land mines, in addition to unexploded ordnance left over from the Croatian War of Independence. Land mines were used extensively during the war by all sides in the conflict; about 1.5 million were deployed. They were intended to strengthen defensive positions lacking sufficient weapons or manpower, but played a limited role in the fighting.
A mine clearance organization, or demining organization, is an organization involved in the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) for military, humanitarian, or commercial reasons. Demining includes mine clearance, as well as surveying, mapping and marking of hazardous areas.
Aki Ra is a former Khmer Rouge conscripted child soldier who works as a deminer and museum curator in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He has devoted his life to removing landmines in Cambodia and to caring for young landmine victims. Aki Ra states that since 1992 he has personally removed and destroyed as many as 50,000 landmines, and is the founder of the Cambodian Landmine Museum.
The Gambian pouched rat, also commonly known as the African giant pouched rat, is a species of nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys, in the family Nesomyidae. It is among the largest muroids in the world, growing to about 0.9 m (3 ft) long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal to Kenya and from Angola to Mozambique from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
Mine action is a combination of humanitarian aid and development studies that aims to remove landmines and reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of them and the explosive remnants of war (ERW).
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons.
Ly Thuch (Khmer: លី ធុជ) is a Cambodian politician who serves as the Senior Minister. He belongs to the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Pursat Province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003.
Land mine contamination in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a serious aftereffect of the Bosnian War, which took place from 1992 until 1995. During this time period, all 3 conflicting factions planted land mines near the current-day political entity borders. As a result, the country has had the most severe land mine problems in the world. Although landmine removal efforts have made progress throughout the country and the landmine-related deaths have steadily decreased each year, many people are still killed or suffer injuries caused by unexploded munitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the threat of landmines, people enter contaminated areas out of economic necessity.
APOPO is a registered Belgian non-governmental organisation and US non-profit which trains southern giant pouched rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis. They call their trained rats 'HeroRATs'.
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is a service located within the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations that specializes in coordinating and implementing activities to limit the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices.
Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD) is a nonprofit NGO founded by Aki Ra in Cambodia. Its mission is to clear landmines and UXOs in 'low priority' villages throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia. Low priority villages are often villages in remote area with limited traffic and populated by poor farmers. Hence, they do not receive priority from mine clearance projects and are at times overlooked.
Gender mainstreaming in mine action is the application of gender mainstreaming to mine action. It is increasingly being adopted by international and state mine action organizations.
Prak Sokhonn is a Cambodian politician, diplomat and journalist who served in the Cabinet of Cambodia as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia from 2016 to 2023, and Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia from 2018 to 2023.
ITF Enhancing Human Security is a humanitarian, non-profit organization founded by the Republic of Slovenia., which specializes in land mine clearance and post-conflict reconstruction. It was established on 12 March 1998 with the purpose of helping Bosnia and Herzegovina in its post-conflict rehabilitation, specifically with mine clearance and assistance to mine victims.
Magawa was a Gambian pouched rat that worked as a HeroRAT sniffing out landmines in Cambodia for the non-governmental organization APOPO which trains rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis. Magawa was the most successful landmine-sniffing rat in the organization's history, and received the PDSA Gold Medal in 2020.
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