Official figures released Thursday showed the number of Cambodians injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance dropped 12 per cent last year from 2008 although the number killed remained constant at 47 in each year. A total of 243 people were killed or injured in 2009 by explosive remnants of war (ERW), down from 271 the previous year, the Cambodian Mine/ERW Victim Information Service said. The number of victims has shown a steady decline year-on-year since 1994 when almost 3,000 people were killed or injured, dpa reported. Chhiv Lim, a project officer for the service, said a survey undertaken four years ago showed several reasons behind the annual decline in deaths and injuries. "We found the number one reason was demining activities, and that's because we have a lot of people involved in demining," he said. "The second is that people have been educated to understand the dangers of mines and ERW."
