Phnom Penh: Land cleared of landmines and unexploded ordnance under the Indian government’s Quick Impact Project (QIP) was formally handed over to the residents of Kaoh Pao Village in Cambodia’s Koh Kong Province.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Cambodia, Tanu Priya; Koh Kong Province Deputy Governor Y. Nearynet; and Deputy Secretary General of the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), Tep Kallyan, attended the handover ceremony of demined land in Kaoh Pao Village.
“Dr. Tanu Priya, DCM, Embassy of India joined H.E. Tep Kallyan, DSG, CMAA, and H.E. Y Nearynet, Deputy Governor of Koh Kong Province for the handover of demined land in Kaoh Pao Village, Koh Kong Province, cleared under the Quick Impact Project Scheme of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation,” the Indian Embassy in Cambodia posted on X.
Approximately 197,810 square metres of land was presented to the villagers during the handover ceremony, and it is expected to benefit about 134 families, Cambodia-based daily The Phnom Penh Post reported.
In a statement, the Indian Embassy in Cambodia stated, “The return of this land to the community will provide safe access for livelihoods, farming, housing and other socio-economic activities.”
The embassy said that India shares a long-standing commitment to working with Cambodia in humanitarian mine-action efforts. Since the early 1990s, India has given capacity building and training, technical assistance, demining equipment, mine detection dogs and offered support to mine victims in Cambodia, The Phnom Penh Post reported.
Meanwhile, earlier on August 24, India and Cambodia agreed to diversify and deepen bilateral trade through cooperation in traditional medicine, e-governance modules, recognition of the Indian pharmacopoeia, trade statistics reconciliation, and strengthening the digital payments system between the two countries, at the third meeting of the Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment (JWGTI) held in Phnom Penh.
The meeting was co-chaired by Amit Verma, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, and Long Kemvichet, Director General of International Trade, Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce.
Both sides noted the encouraging momentum in bilateral trade, which grew by over 36 per cent to reach USD 406.78 million in 2025-26, up from USD 299 million in the previous financial year, with the April-June 2026 quarter recording a further 63.25 per cent year-on-year growth.
Cambodia is currently India’s 8th largest trading partner in ASEAN, accounting for 0.31 per cent of India’s total trade with the bloc, reflecting significant headroom for growth.
The meeting deliberated upon ways to diversify and deepen trade, including through cooperation and collaboration in traditional medicine, e-governance modules, recognition of Indian pharmacopoeia, trade statistics reconciliation, and the sharing of information on flagship trade fairs and business delegations.
(IANS)
