Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
06 November 2007
Cambodia will not be free of landmines until at least 2020, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday, ten years later than it had hoped.
The country's deminers had thought they could clear the country by 2010, following the signing of a land mine treaty in 2000, but the remnants of Cambodia's conflicts have been difficult to eradicate.
Millions of landmines and unexploded ordnance remain in the country, and even when they have been cleared in Cambodia, Hun Sen said, "the mine [problem] is not finished."
"Afghanistan will still have it, [as well as] Sudan, Iraq, Congo and other places that have conflicts," Hun Sen said.
As a signatory to the landmine treaty, Cambodia does not produce mines, but other countries continue to make, sell and implement them, he said.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay criticized Cambodia's slow rate of demining, saying that if it could send deminers to other countries, like a recent mission to Sudan, it should be able to clear its own mines.
The country's deminers had thought they could clear the country by 2010, following the signing of a land mine treaty in 2000, but the remnants of Cambodia's conflicts have been difficult to eradicate.
Millions of landmines and unexploded ordnance remain in the country, and even when they have been cleared in Cambodia, Hun Sen said, "the mine [problem] is not finished."
"Afghanistan will still have it, [as well as] Sudan, Iraq, Congo and other places that have conflicts," Hun Sen said.
As a signatory to the landmine treaty, Cambodia does not produce mines, but other countries continue to make, sell and implement them, he said.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay criticized Cambodia's slow rate of demining, saying that if it could send deminers to other countries, like a recent mission to Sudan, it should be able to clear its own mines.
6 comments:
Ah Stupid Son Chhay, de-mining is an international effort. We help them and they help us, Ah Chkout.
PLEASE LOG ON TO THIS SITE:
http://www.apopo.org
To see success on demining. Once in the site click to your destinations.
Wow! they are using rats "Targeting the explosives' smell, rats detect both metal and plastic mines, and unexploded ordnance (UXO)." I can't believe it work!
THERE ARE MANY RATS IN THE CPP & NEC. HUN SEN IS THE BIGGEST RAT! WE COULD TRAIN HIM TO DETECT ALL OF THE ORDINANCES. ONCE TRAINED, WE COULD LET HUN SEN OUT OF THE LEASH INTO THE MINEFIELDS!
Newspaper title "The rats family tree."
MP Son Chhay,
Corruption and landgrab bills are priority.
Focus man, focus
I say, but Ah Son Chhay can't addressed land grabbing because he's one of the grabbers.
Dear 8:02,
Unfortunately, only the "Giant pouched rats" have been showing positive results in detecting landmines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambian_Pouch_Rat
Other species of rats, including thoses you propose, are far more difficult to train, as they are too disorganized, do not listen, act selfishly, and are therefore highly unreliable... Moreover, they are more expensive to maintain and transport...
Hey, why are we considering disease carrying animal to clear up mines?
I would rather died a quick dead from land mine than a slow dead from diseases, wouldn't you?
Post a Comment