Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Sat May 28, 2022 1:37 pm

Cambodia News (Phnom Penh): On May 26, 2022, HE Heng Ratana, the Director General of CMAC, and Michael Heiman, the APOPO* Country Director for Cambodia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement a demining and UXO clearance project for 5 years with a donated budget of 284,422 USD.
It is estimated that the project, operated by Belgian NGO APOPO, will cover over 4 million square meters of land in 4 districts of Preah Vihear province by the end of 2023.

*APOPO, (an acronym for Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling: "Anti-Personnel Landmines Removal Product Development" in English), is a registered Belgian non-governmental organisation and US non-profit which trains southern giant pouched rats to detect landmines.
- Wikipedia

Jerry Atrick · Post by **Jerry Atrick** » Sat May 28, 2022 1:57 pm

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 1:37 pm Cambodia News (Phnom Penh): On May 26, 2022, HE Heng Ratana, the Director General of CMAC, and Michael Heiman, the APOPO* Country Director for Cambodia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement a demining and UXO clearance project for 5 years with a donated budget of 284,422 USD.
It is estimated that the project, operated by Belgian NGO APOPO, will cover over 4 million square meters of land in 4 districts of Preah Vihear province by the end of 2023.

*APOPO, (an acronym for Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling: "Anti-Personnel Landmines Removal Product Development" in English), is a registered Belgian non-governmental organisation and US non-profit which trains southern giant pouched rats to detect landmines.
- Wikipedia

$284,000 budget for five years seems very low

Apparition · Post by **Apparition** » Sat May 28, 2022 5:11 pm

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 1:57 pm

$284,000 budget for five years seems very low

It does, I watched this yesterday (his videos are usually well researched) and he said the cost of removing each mine is between $300 - $1000. Total cost to remove all mines worldwide $50bn - $100bn.

Interestingly, he said that Cambodia could double its agricultural output if all the mines were removed.

Jerry Atrick · Post by **Jerry Atrick** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:38 pm

Apparition wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 5:11 pm
Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 1:57 pm

$284,000 budget for five years seems very low
It does, I watched this yesterday (his videos are usually well researched) and he said the cost of removing each mine is between $300 - $1000. Total cost to remove all mines worldwide $50bn - $100bn.

Interestingly, he said that Cambodia could double its agricultural output if all the mines were removed.

Cambodian de-miners are among the best in the world these days due to years of experience - I would speculate that the cost of removal here is dramatically lower than those borne by "western" deminers.

That guy, Simon Whistler, doesn't actually know very much about anything imo- he's professional autocue reader for at least two dozen rather generic YouTube channels - and I think a production team just throws together most of his scripts with precious little fact checking - I have heard him utter some huge clangers with rock solid conviction and his usual polished delivery style - so take anything he says with a grain of salt

AndyKK · Post by **AndyKK** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:51 pm

Cambodian de-miners let's not forget where they got their ongoing experience and skills, from that of dedicated western de-miners, such organisations as Halo and Mag, who have been operating here from the outset. Both too are financial supported by charities, mainly on a donation scale.

Jerry Atrick · Post by **Jerry Atrick** » Sat May 28, 2022 7:01 pm

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 6:51 pm Cambodian de-miners let's not forget where they got their ongoing experience and skills, from that of dedicated western de-miners, such organisations as Halo and Mag, who have been operating here from the outset. Both too are financial supported by charities, mainly on a donation scale.

That is so - but here in 2022 they are among the best and most experienced there are today - and are paying it forward in many African nations these days by de-mining over there

Singsling · Post by **Singsling** » Sat May 28, 2022 7:27 pm

4 million m2 may sound impressive but it's only 4 km2.
Not much to write home about.

Apparition · Post by **Apparition** » Sat May 28, 2022 7:43 pm

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 6:38 pm
Apparition wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 5:11 pm
Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 1:57 pm

$284,000 budget for five years seems very low
It does, I watched this yesterday (his videos are usually well researched) and he said the cost of removing each mine is between $300 - $1000. Total cost to remove all mines worldwide $50bn - $100bn.

Interestingly, he said that Cambodia could double its agricultural output if all the mines were removed.
Cambodian de-miners are among the best in the world these days due to years of experience - I would speculate that the cost of removal here is dramatically lower than those borne by "western" deminers.

That guy, Simon Whistler, doesn't actually know very much about anything imo- he's professional autocue reader for at least two dozen rather generic YouTube channels - and I think a production team just throws together most of his scripts with precious little fact checking - I have heard him utter some huge clangers with rock solid conviction and his usual polished delivery style - so take anything he says with a grain of salt

Yes, he is certainly just a presenter.

The figure of 300-1000 per mine comes from here: "Their prices vary between US $ 3 and US $ 75 per unit whilst the cost of clearance estimated by the United Nations, including support and logistic costs, is between US $ 300 and US $ 1,000 per mine."

https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/d ... 57jmcy.htm

You're probably right that it's less in Cambodia.

CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Sun May 21, 2023 11:45 pm

Sunday is a day of rest for the APOPO "hero-rats" too...

Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

Re: Belgian NGO APOPO Signs MOU to Clear 4Million Sq Meters of UXOs

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