Phnom Penh: Mr. Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) and Mr. Takayama Ryoji, President of the Japanese IMCCD, have jointly pledged to clear landmines in Cambodia’s communities.
At the signing ceremony of the partnership agreement on the “Community-based Mine Clearance” project with Mr. Takayama Ryoji on August 4, 2026, Mr. Heng Ratana said that the project will be implemented for one year from August 16, 2026 to August 15, 2027.
He said that Ta Sen commune, Kam Rieng district, Battambang province, which is the target of the community-based mine clearance project, has transformed from a former battlefield full of mines and war debris to a commune with famous agricultural products ranked number 1-2, exported to France and England. It is also widely exported to the Japanese market.
According to Mr. Heng Ratana, he led the implementation of the project in Ta Sen commune in early 2002, when Ta Sen commune had no schools, lacked everything, and was mostly full of landmines. He recalled that 7 CMAC forces were killed in Ta Sen commune during mine clearance.
At the same time, the Director General recalled that he collaborated with JMAS, Komatsu and Hitachi to build schools, develop rural roads, and dig large-scale ponds. Especially in the second and third mandates, the Royal Government has promoted investment and development in the Cambodia-Siam border area strongly and rapidly, so that people living in the Cambodia-Siam border area have a better life than some areas in the country.
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