US Defence Minister told Cambodian counterpart that the US Government is working to find solution regarding the US chemical bombs and explosive remnants of war in Cambodia left by the Vietnam War.
On his return from an informal meeting between Asean defence ministers and US Defence Secretary James Mattis in the Philippines at Phnom Penh International Airport on Wednesday, General Tea Banh, Cambodian Defence Minister, told reporters that Gen. Mattis had told him that the US Government was working on the issue of the US chemical bombs and other explosive remnants of war of about 3 million tons left by the Vietnam War in Cambodia. But, Gen. Banh did not know yet how well the US Government would deal with this issue.
During the meeting on Monday, Gen Banh had called on the US to cooperate with the Kingdom of Cambodia to clear US chemical bombs and remnants of war fearing that the weapons would continue to affect the health of the Cambodian people more than 40 years on.
On the other hand, as of October 26, the Cambodian Ministry of Health affirmed that 89 Cambodian people living in the US chemical bombs drop zone in Svay Rieng's Korki commune were hospitalized. And the ministry believed they were affected by chemical bombs.
Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), last week, confirmed that the US chemical weapons, found in Cambodia's Svay Rieng Province, are not pure tear gas barrel as mentioning by the US Embassy in Phnom Penh. They are the real bombs containing destructive explosive that could kill Cambodian people instantly if those bombs exploded.
However, Mr. Ratana added that starting from November 2017, the US Department of State would provide more than $16 million a month to the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) for them to clear US bombs and unexploded ordnance left by the Vietnam War in the eastern part of the country.
According to Mr. Ratana an agreement was signed on Wednesday between CMAC and the US funded Norwegian People's Aid's (NPA), in a view to support CMAC's 5th Unit to clear landmines until the end of the year 2017.
Regarding this issue, the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, last week, wrote on their Facebook page stating that the US Government is taking full responsibility for their «legacies» or for what they did in the past. To these «legacies», the US Government is ready to respond to any Cambodia's request for assistance.
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