Twenty of the Kingdom’s deminers and members of the armed forces are currently undertaking a “humanitarian mine clearance training” course in China, which the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) says will further strengthen their technical skills.

The group of 20 is comprised of seven Cambodian “blue helmets” from the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces (NPMEC), five CMAA officers and eight infantry soldiers.

The training course is three months long, running from June 9 to September 9, and is being held at the Army Engineering University of the People’s Liberation Army in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

“China has been a valuable partner in Cambodia’s demining efforts, providing funding, equipment and training to help the Kingdom clear landmines and other unexploded ordnance [UXO],” said CMAA first vice-president Ly Thuch.

It is hoped that this latest round of training will further accelerate Cambodia’s demining efforts, he added.

The training in China is focusing on the use of mine detection equipment, basic explosive ordnance training and the study of different types of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The 20 participants will be receiving training on how to use the GTL 117A and the GTL 312 mine detection machines, as well as learning about culture, politics, geography and economics, and studying Chinese literature.

This is not the first time China has provided training to Cambodian deminers, with CMAA reporting that such demining training has been conducted every year since 2015, except during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the past eight years, a total of 140 Cambodian deminers have participated in such training, including 93 members of the military and 47 CMAA officers.