With peace and better security in former conflict zones in northwestern Cambodia, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees announced Tuesday it will shut down its provincial offices in Battambang and Siem Reap this December.
The closings follow two years of work in the northwest assisting the return of Cambodians who fled to Thailand following violence in 1997 and 1998.
According to a statement from the organization, around 46,000 Cambodians benefited from some $5.9 million in assistance channeled into the area by the UN agency during its period of operation.
Although the northwest is now at peace and benefiting from economic and social progress, Cambodia still faces immense problems in terms of development, Bernard Doyle, acting head of UNHCR’s Cambodian operations, said in the statement.
