Japan Gives $30 for Busses, Demining

The Japanese government will provide almost $30 million in grant aid to Cambodia to boost Phnom Penh’s public bus system and to strengthen ongoing demining operations.



At a signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, minister Long Visalo and outgoing Japanese Ambassador Yuji Kunamaru, Mr. Kunamaru said that $13 million would be spent on improving the city’s bus capacity.



“The Japanese government is going to provide a budget of 1.396 billion yen [about $13 million] for procuring 80 buses in Phnom Penh because of the rapid growth of the urban population and increase of private vehicles in the city,” he said.



He added that the traffic conditions and urban environment in the capital is worsening year-on-year.



“This project aims to improve the traffic situation in Phnom Penh by enhancing the transportation capacity of public buses.”



The grant for demining is intended to allow for operations across the country to continue, with a focus on helping victims, he said.



“Japan’s grant assistance of 1.81 billion yen [about $17 million] will be used for integrating mine clearance and landmine victim assistance in Cambodia.



“About 7,000 hectares of minefields will be cleared by speeding up demining activities and improving rural development through this assistance of financial resources for the Cambodian Mine Action Center’s demining operations cost for three years, new demining machinery and agricultural infrastructure and training,” said Mr. Kunamaru.



Mr. Visalo said the bus purchases would coincide with plans to expand the city’s three bus routes, with up to 10 proposed by 2020, requiring 200 buses.



The demining funds would be largely spent in Battambang province’s Bavel, Banan, Rattanak and Mondul districts, he said “because of the high injuries and death rates.”



Last week, Japan also granted aid of more than $830,000 to the Japan Mine Action Service to assist the Cambodian Mine Action Center with demining operations in 260 hectares of Banan district.



According to an embassy press release, last week’s grant announcement was the third so far this fiscal year, taking the total of Japanese donations under its “Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects” program to more than $26.2 million since 2002, which has covered 95 projects covering primary education, health, agriculture and mine clearance.