AFGHANISTAN| SOUTH EAST ASIA | CAMBODIA |
Map  History of minelaying Although there was some limited mine laying from the late 1960s through to the mid 1970s, the first significant use of landmines did not occur in Cambodia until the 1979–1989 Vietnamese occupation. In Dec 1978 Vietnamese invading forces took control of the country and the Khmer Rouge retreated to, and fought to defend, base camps along the North-West border. Then, through a series of dry season offensives 1984-1985 the Vietnamese military drove the Khmer Rouge and 230,000 civilians across the border into Thailand. To prevent their return tens of thousands of local people were forcibly conscripted over 18 months into assisting in the construction of a barrier minefield along the entire 700km length of the Cambodia-Thai border. This fifth in a series of defensive plans (Kar Korpier pram) has become known infamously as “the K5”. From 1989-1991, after the Vietnamese military withdrawal, State of Cambodia forces compensated for the overall reduction in troop numbers by laying thousands more mines. These were used to defend towns and villages, military positions and supply routes including roads, border crossings and bridge abutments from attack by opposition forces. In this same period Khmer Rouge and Monarchist opposition forces overran parts of Northern and Western Cambodia. More mines were laid to protect newly won ground or to contaminate the interior of abandoned Vietnamese defensive positions. In the mid-1990s the newly formed Royal Cambodian Armed Forces aimed annual dry season offensives at the remaining Khmer Rouge strongholds in Pailin and Anlong Veaeng. Each offensive was accompanied by additional mine-laying. An increasingly isolated hard line Khmer Rouge leadership, whose troops defended themselves with locally manufactured mines, eventually gave up and sought amnesty, or were captured by 1999. Over 63,000 mine and UXO casualties have been recorded since 1979, and Cambodia has over 25,000 amputees – the highest ratio per capita of any country. Most of these casualties occurred around the villages of the North-Western provinces bordering Thailand, a region which had previously been among the most agriculturally productive in the country. HALO has been working in North-West Cambodia since 1991. A Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) conducted during 2001-2002 suggested that the contaminated area extended to 4,466km˛ or 2% of the country. This area estimate is now discredited, but did confirm that the highest percentage of mine accidents are concentrated in the border districts through which the K5 runs. It is within these border districts that migration of the landless poor from the central provinces has taken place. It is now not uncommon to find that, immediately adjacent to the minefields, communities established after 2002 are safely reclaiming great swathes of land previously reported as suspect on the LIS. HALO was the first to recognize the extent of this local ‘Land Reclamation’ and the significance of reporting use of this ground in reducing the total sqkm on the national mines database. The established long-term clearance capacity has now cleared the majority of the interior minefields from around provincial towns and highways. It is HALO’s view that the fastest way to reduce the mine accident level further is to target large scale demining assets in the areas where most accidents occur along the North-West border. In doing so, HALO believes it is helping some of the most vulnerable border communities and making significant contributions towards the general relief of poverty. HALO has over 1,200 demining staff working in the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Otdar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Battambang and Krong Pailin. The program’s operational arm is split into 100 nine-man manual clearance sections supported by mechanical vegetation cutters, armored loaders and shovels. HALO Cambodia equips each of its demining sections with metal detectors and handheld strimmers as standard. Since 2006 the program has been deploying the very latest in dual sensor detectors that combine the best available metal detection technology with ground penetrating radar. These detectors allow operators to speed up productivity by discriminating between metal signals and metal adjacent to mass which indicates the possibility of a mine. Survey, which accurately defines the extent of the mines problem, can be used widely to assist with planning from strategic down to grass roots level. HALO employs mobile survey teams to record the actual perimeters of minefields and to prepare for future task deployments. Survey teams are multi-functional, undertaking explosive ordnance disposal call-out tasking, and conducting reclaimed land survey to record how the land was cleared, what items were found, and how the land is now being used. Requirement for continued clearance HALO Cambodia is currently funded by the governments of Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, The Netherlands, and The United States of America. Significant donations are also provided by private groups and foundations including the Foundation Coalition Partnership, Freedom Fields USA, People to People International and Rotary International. Should funding be available, HALO Cambodia has the managerial capacity for further incremental expansion. |
|
