Sunday 04 / October / 2026
PHNOM PENH: Land cleared of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) has been formally returned to residents of Kaoh Pao village in Koh Kong province’s Pak Khlang commune, following a clearance project supported by an Indian government Quick Impact Project (QIP).
At a handover ceremony on October 1, around 197,810 square metres of cleared land was returned to the community in the coastal province near the Thai border. The project is expected to benefit about 134 families.
“The return of this land to the community will provide safe access for livelihoods, farming, housing and other socio-economic activities,” the Indian embassy said in a statement.
India has a longstanding partnership with Cambodia in humanitarian mine-action efforts, providing technical assistance, capacity building and training, demining equipment and mine-detection dogs, support for mine victims and grant assistance since the early 1990s.
The embassy said cooperation in mine action has expanded further under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Quick Impact Projects framework.
India has approved 75 QIPs in Cambodia, of which 55 have been completed and 20 are ongoing. The projects cover priority areas including education, healthcare, sanitation, agriculture, women’s empowerment and humanitarian mine action, in line with the development priorities of the Cambodian government.
“The handover of the land in Kaoh Pao village marks an important milestone in these efforts, returning nearly 200,000 square metres of land to the people of Cambodia for livelihoods, housing and future development,” the embassy said.
