Kingdom set to send 204 peacekeepers to CAR
C A MBODI A w i l l send 204 members of the engineering force to t he Centra l Af r ica n Republic later this month as part of a one-year UN peacekeeping mission, the Nationa l Cent re for Peacekeepi ng Forces, Mines and Explosive Remnants of War (NPMEC) told The Post on Wednesday.
N P M E C s p o k e s w o m a n Kosa l Malinda sa id t he 204 members, of whom 10 a re women, will join peacekeepers f rom ot her count r ies i n t he c on st r uc t ion of r oad s a nd pe ac eke epi ng f or c e s’ he a dqu a r t e r s , a s wel l a s ca r r y out mine clea ra nce.
“In t his mission, our blue hel met forces w i l l be st ationed in t wo locations – Bria and Bambari,” she said.
Since 2006, she said, Cambodia has sent a tota l of 6,300 peacekeepers, 300 of t hem women, wit h sk i l ls in mine c l e a r a n c e , e n g i n e e r i n g , public order, level 2 hospita ls a nd a i r por t eng i neer i ng to Suda n, Sout h Suda n, Chad, Syria, Cyprus, Central Africa, Lebanon and Mali.
“More than 800 Cambodian peacekeeper s, 6 0 of t hem women, are current ly f ulf illing their missions under the UN umbrella in five countries – Cent ra l A f r ica n Republic, Leba non, Mali, Suda n a nd South Sudan,” she said.
Malinda sa id Ca mbodia’s active participation in internationa l peacekeeping missions shows that the Kingdom h a d f u l l y i mpl e me n t e d
memorandums of understanding it had signed with the UN and demonstrates the country’s commitment to peace.
Paulin Tamesis, the UN coordinator in Cambodia, recently said Asean member states have provided strong support to UN peacekeeping missions.
She took particular note of Cambodia, which ranks 29 out of the 122 countries that have contributed to the UN peacekeeping missions.
“In the peacekeeping sector, the Royal Government of Cambodia has shown a vision aimed at ensuring the sustainability of sending peacekeeping forces.
“It is committed to continue participating in UN missions as its contribution to the international community and to seek peace for other countries in the world at the request of the UN,” she said.