Southeast Asia’s landmine clearers face closure as global aid shifts to new wars
En Poy was minding cattle in a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in Cambodia when he set off his first landmine. The blast from the rusty relic he picked up cost him an arm and an eye. It also inspired his career with non-profit organisation Cambodian Self Help Demining, which clears landmines and unexploded ordnance across the country, deadly remnants of wars from the last century. Groups like Poy’s…
Demolition experts in Cambodia face the threat of closure as global aid reallocates to ongoing conflicts. Once a victim of a landmine, En Poy now leads Cambodian Self Help Demining, a non-profit organization combating landmines and unexploded ordnance across the nation. Foreign aid that supports groups like Poy's is dwindling as donors shift focus towards active wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Additionally, increased defense spending leaves fewer resources for humanitarian demining. This shift in priorities, coupled with the end of US Agency for International Development under President Donald Trump and a 90-day foreign aid freeze, has exacerbated the situation. Despite these challenges, landmine and unexploded bomb remnants continue to endanger communities, maim and kill people, and hinder development in Southeast Asia.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
