Weapons Destruction Ceremony in Kompong Thom Province

Japan Assistance Team for Small Arms Management in Cambodia (JSAC) is pleased to announce that the Weapons Destruction Ceremony organized by the Royal Government of Cambodia in cooperation with JSAC will be held in Kompong Thom Province on June 15 (Thu), 2006.

Approximately 1,300 small arms will be incinerated by this ceremony, all of which have been voluntarily surrendered by the residents in Kompong Thom Province during JSAC’s activities. After this destruction, the total of destroyed weapons under JSAC support in Cambodia will reach around 18,000.

JSAC has been conducting extensive workshops in this Province, and in the workshops JSAC encourages the civilian population to hand over all weapons to the police. While this Ceremony is the first destruction ceremony supported by JSAC in Kompong Thom Province, we expect that witnessing the destruction of the collected weapons will give a strong impression and strengthen confidence in peace and safety in this Province, and thus further promote the willingness of the residents to surrender their weapons.

H.E. Nam Tum, Provincial Governor of Kompong Thom Province will chair the ceremony. Other officials from the Ministry of Interior, the Provincial Government, and the Provincial Police will witness the destruction of the weapons together with the local residents. Delegates from various national and international organizations are also invited to the ceremony on the following date and venue. JSAC sincerely welcomes all.

◆     Date:   June 15, 2006 (Thu), 8:00 AM (will be held in rainy weather)
◆     Location:   Soccer Field in Kompong Thom Provincial Town
(Kdei Village, Prey Tahou Commune, Stung Sen District, near Inthanou Bridge)
◆     Organized by the Royal Government of Cambodia, Supported by JSAC

ENDS

Note for Editors:
Japan Assitance Team for Small Arms Management in Cambodia (JSAC), was established by the Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) to assist the implementation of the “Peace Building and Comprehensive Small Arms Management Program in Cambodia”, which is the first Grant Aid Program for conflict prevention and peace building provided by the Japanese Government. JSAC has implemented its weapons collection through awareness raising workshops in the northwest areas of Cambodia (Otdar Mean Chey Province, Banteay Mean Chey Province, and Siem Reap Province). Since October 2005, JSAC has been organizing weapons collection and peace building activities in Battambang Province and Kompong Thom Province. The number of small arms collected through JSAC activities has currently reached 18,316 in total.