battambang town – It remains unclear whether the US will resume aid next year to the financially-troubled Cambodian Mine Action Center, US officials said Wednesday while on a sight-seeing junket of CMAC operations.
After touring areas along heavily mined Route10B near Samlot, US Ambassador Kent Wiedemann appeared impressed with the efforts of local demining crews, but he was not specific on what more CMAC needs to do for the US to resume funding.
“What’s in the field has never been the problem,” Wiedemann said. “It’s some aspects of the management that were the problem.”
A $1 million contribution to CMAC was scheduled to be made this year, but allegations of financial abuses caused the US to divert that money to The Halo Trust demining organization.
Prime Minister Hun Sen recently said he would only authorize $50,000 of government funds to CMAC. Australia and Britain each have pledged $300,000 to help CMAC operate through the year.
