Miss Landmine

The winner of a controversial pageant for Cambodian landmine victims has also taken top prize in “Miss Landmine Harstad Conference 2010”, which was held during a meeting of more than 300 politicians, business managers and entrepreneurs in Harstad, Norway, earlier this month, the pageant’s organisers said in a press release Monday. Dos Sopheap, 18, had previously won both components of the Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 pageant: an online vote in which more than 2,300 voters from 30 countries participated, and a November event held in Kristiansand, Norway, in which photos of the Cambodian contestants were displayed for judges. Last year, government officials banned Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 from taking place in the Kingdom, saying it was disrespectful to people living with disabilities. Officials from the Social Affairs Ministry declined to comment Monday.