Cambodia on December 18 sent the fifth batch of 184 peacekeepers to Lebanon to replace the fourth group whose one-year mission ended.

The scene of an explosion on a bridge in the north of Tripoli on August 7

The new group will be responsible for clearing landmines, constructing roads, bridges, shelters and defence posts, and providing medical treatment for Lebanese civilians during their one-year term, Gen. Pol Saroeun, Commander-in- Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, said during the sending-off ceremony at the capital of Phnom Penh.

Claire Van der Vaeren, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme in Cambodia, hailed Cambodia for its active contributions to the UN peacekeeping operations.

UN peacekeepers helped Cambodia recover from conflict 21 years ago and now the country can help other countries, like Lebanon, she added.

Since it first sent troops overseas in the framework of the UN Peacekeeping Operations in 2006, Cambodia has deployed about 2,350 peacekeepers in Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Lebanon, the Central African Republic and Mali.

(Source: VNA)