The Charity Gala Dinner on 1st August, 2022 by the Malaysian Business Chamber of Cambodia (MBCC) in collaboration with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) proved a major success with about 500 attendees. The charity dinner raised about $67,700 for demining a village Kampong Speu province. Guest of Honor, Lt. General Dr. Hun Manet contributed a further $10,000 to bring the total to $77,700.00. The event is the first-of-its kind undertaken by a business chamber to support the removal of landmines and other Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXOs) left buried after decades of war in Cambodia. Tickets were sold out one week before the event, with the organizer confirming that MBCC had to twice increase the number of tables as requests for table sales and individual tickets kept rolling in. Held from 6pm to 10pm at the NAGA Ballroom, the MBCC Charity Gala Dinner received about 500 guests who shared a single vision: a landmine-free Cambodia by 2025. The event featured performances by Medha, Cambodia’s, first ever female drumming troupe, among others. Attending as the guest of honor were Lieutenant General Hun Manet, Commander of Royal Cambodian Army, Senior Minister and First Vice-President of CMAA, Ly Thuch, and Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia. During his welcoming speech, Oknha Tan Khee Meng, President of MBCC, said it is a great pride for MBCC to give back to society through addressing the grave issue of landmines and other UXOs which have caused countless casualties while also preventing a large proportion of arable land from being farmed. Exchanging documents with CMAA Secretary General Prum Sophakmonkol at the charity dinner. KT/Chor Sokunthea “We need to do something to help those who are living in landmine contaminated areas so that they can move freely and do more farming so that they can enjoy the benefits from Cambodia’s economic growth,” he said. “Everyone can contribute to the issue, either individually or collectively, and by spearheading this initiative, we hope it will create an effect beyond this dinner. Thuch said he felt enormous gratitude towards MBCC for the initiative? “Deming is a hard and costly job,” he said. “Landmines and other UXOs are still causing death and suffering.” “This event today is memorable. We are thankful to businessmen and partners who have contributed to the initiative, in addition to providing economic and job opportunities to Cambodia.” Meanwhile, Lt Gen Manet lauded MBCC for its significant CSR effort which will assist thousands of lives. “Together, our effort here will unveil a bright future for Cambodia and for Cambodians for generations to come,” he said. All proceeds from the charity event will go towards mine-clearing operations in Kampong Speu province. Speaking during event, the Ambassador of Malaysia to Cambodia, Eldeen Husaini said the MBCC Charity Gala Dinner is a priceless act of charity shown by a business chamber in Cambodia. “This is a reflection on Malaysian solidarity to help their Cambodian brothers and sisters,” he said. “It is a great pleasure to continue to make people’s lives better, as people are still suffering from landmines. We will not stop here, and we will continue to help Cambodia become landmine free by 2025.” It has been established that by the time Cambodia’s three-decade war ended in 1998, between four to six million land mines and other UXOs were left spread over the country. According to CMAA, the country has cleared 2,379 square kilometers of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) from contaminated land, destroying over one million anti-personnel mines, more than 26,000 anti-tank mines and nearly three million ERWs between 1992 and April 2022. Yet, it is estimated that the government is still short of more than $65 million to remove the remaining abandoned explosives, and create farming land for the people.
