A public weapons destruction ceremony marked the end of a Japanese arms reduction project in Cambodia this week. 5000 people attended the burning of 6600 surrendered guns in the Battambang province on September19.

The Japan Assistance Team for Small Arms Management in Cambodia (JSAC) has assisted in the collection of 28,602 small arms and 113,650 explosives and ammunitions since 2003.

Small arms left over from the civil war pose a serious threat to human security in Cambodia, although most post-conflict work has focused on landmines. One study estimated that 1 in 5 households owned a gun in areas heavily affected by the war.

 JSAC focused on public awareness by holding workshops outlining the dangers of small arms in the home and encouraging civilians to surrender their guns. They also worked alongside the police to help build confidence between the authorities and the public. Weapons storage warehouses were upgraded and a computerised weapons registration system was put in place.

Project officer Yukiko Murasaki called the achievements ‘a significant change in weapons management in Cambodia.’ She said the weapon burning ceremonies had a particularly confidence-boosting purpose. ‘They create an atmosphere of trust. Civilians know that their weapons aren’t kept by the police once they surrender them; the public burning offers proof that the guns are destroyed forever.’

The Japanese government-funded project follows on from a similar program conducted by the European Union Assistance on Curbing Small Arms and Light Weapons in Cambodia (EU ASAC) and the Cambodian NGO Working Group for Weapons Reduction.