CMAC Signs Agreement with Japanese NGO to Demine areas in Battambang and Pailin On August 25, 2025, at the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) headquarters in Phnom Penh, H.E. Heng Ratana, Delegate of the Royal Government in charge as Director General of CMAC, and Mr. Takayama Ryoji, Resident Representative of the International Mine Action and Community Development Organization (IMCCD), signed a partnership agreement for the "Community-Based Mine Clearance" project. This initiative, supported by a Japanese Non-Profit Organization (NPO) with a budget of $44,482, aims to conduct mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance operations—especially targeting anti-vehicle mines—in areas with urgent development needs. The project will also promote socio-economic activities in the provinces of Battambang and Pailin following clearance. It is scheduled to run from August 16, 2025, to August 15, 2026.

Since 2011, the IMCCD project has cleared nearly 7 square kilometers of land, destroying 2,119 pieces of unexploded ordnance, including 624 anti-personnel mines, 118 anti-vehicle mines, and 1,377 other remnants of war. The project has also responded to five emergency clearance requests. Mr. Ryoji expressed his gratitude for having worked alongside CMAC for over 20 years in mine and UXO clearance and post-clearance community development. He praised CMAC as not only Cambodia’s leading national mine action institution but also as a global center for expertise in the field.

H.E. Heng Ratana reflected on his long-standing collaboration with Ryoji, recalling the early 2000s when Ryoji contributed significantly to post-mine development in Ta Sen commune, Kamrieng district, Battambang province—then one of Cambodia’s most heavily mined areas. “Thanks to Ryoji’s efforts, the commune has since been transformed, now featuring roads and irrigation infrastructure.” H.E. Heng Ratana expressed his heartfelt appreciation for Ryoji, noting his decades-long dedication to Cambodia’s recovery and development, and thanking him for spending nearly half his life working for the country's future.

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