AKP Phnom Penh, August 25, 2025 —

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and Japan's International Mine Clearance and Community Development (IMCCD) have signed a new partnership agreement to expand community-based mine clearance operations in the provinces of Battambang and Pailin. 

The project aims to remove anti-tank mines from key development areas, directly improving socio-economic conditions for local communities.

The agreement was signed today at the CMAC headquarters in Phnom Penh by H.E. Heng Ratana, Director General of CMAC, and Mr. Takayama Ryori, President of IMCCD. 

H.E. Heng Ratana confirmed the new partnership on his official Facebook page.

According to the Director General, the initiative will run from Aug. 16, 2025, to Aug. 15, 2026, with a focus on clearing landmines to enable safe and productive land use. He highlighted Mr. Takayama’s long-standing commitment to Cambodia's mine action efforts, noting his service as a Japanese military officer with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) mission in 1993. 

Over the past 25 years, Mr. Takayama has been instrumental in mine clearance, particularly in heavily contaminated areas like Ta Sen commune in Battambang's Kamrieng district, near the Thai border.

"We not only cleared landmines but also mobilised philanthropists to build schools," H.E. Heng Ratana said, praising Mr. Takayama’s efforts to attract Japanese investors to the region, which led to the establishment of five medium-sized factories. 

These facilities produce Khmer liquor from cassava and mangoes, with one product even earning recognition at a wine competition in France.

H.E. Heng Ratana emphasised that these joint efforts have transformed former minefields into productive farmland, significantly supporting both household and national development. 

With the Royal Government's new policy to accelerate mine clearance along the Cambodia-Thailand border—especially in populated and utilised areas—he expressed optimism that highly contaminated communes like Ta Sen could soon be fully cleared.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the partnership between CMAC and IMCCD, which began in 2011. Their collaborative projects have focused on clearing anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) to enhance public safety and allow for the safe construction of farms, homes, schools, hospitals, and other community infrastructure.

The long-standing cooperation between the two organisations has directly benefited thousands of Cambodian families, providing them with safer land and new opportunities for community and economic growth.

By K. Rithy Reak