Cambodia’s landmine problem is the result of a protracted sequence of internal and regional conflicts that affected the country from the mid 1960s until the end of 1998. The north-western regions bordering Thailand are heavily affected, while other parts of the country (mainly the East) are considered moderate to low impact, affected mainly by ERW. Mines and ERW have caused an unacceptable number
of casualties, both military and civilian and have hindered national development. Mine clearance started along the Cambodia-Vietnam border by the company of women soldiers of the Cambodian People’s Revolutionary Army in 1979 with thousands of hectares of land cleared and thousands of mines/ERWs destroyed to provide safe resettlement and agricultural land despite the lack of substantial financial, technical and modern equipment support. The inception of official humanitarian mine clearance in Cambodia dates back to 1992. Mine Risk Education (MRE) started in 1993 focusing on providing mine and ERW awareness messages to returnees and internally displaced persons settling in affected areas when the armed conflicts had ended. By 1998, demining activities had significantly expanded, with the presence of four demining operators: the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), the HALO Trust and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). Cambodia signed the APMBC in 1997 and became a State Party to the convention on 1st January 2000. In September 2000, the RGC established the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) chaired by the Prime Minister Hun Sen, understanding that mine action has reached a turning point from an emergency response to a long term development perspective with a focus on a comprehensive approach to regulation, planning and coordination. The CMAA has the responsibilities to regulate, coordinate and monitor mine action activities throughout Cambodia.
