a) Cambodia`s "Culture of Arms"
In Cambodia it is easy to obtain guns, which are often used instead of knives for such crimes as burglaries, kidnappings and blackmail. Nowadays it is said that a "culture of violence" is becoming widespread in the country. Cambodians who can remember the pre-war period often say, "Thirty years ago there was no such thing as a culture of violence. Cambodia was a peaceful country".

It goes without saying that it is Cambodia’s history of civil war which has brought about such a change in the country. During the civil war, ordinary citizens were drawn into the conflict and had no choice but to own weapons for the sake of self-defence. Even after the conclusion of the war due to the surrender of Pol Pot’s faction in 1998, and regardless of the fact that weapon possession is wholly prohibited by law, it is said that as many as 100,000 weapons are owned by ordinary citizens.

Cambodia was expected to become a country where it would be unnecessary to own weapons for self-defence or for attack. So why do citizens continue to own weapons? One reason is that, at a time when gun-related incidents occur frequently, people fear that they and their families will become victims if they do not protect themselves. Furthermore, guns are regarded as valuable assets that can be exchanged for cash whenever necessary. For these reasons, regardless of government demands, once people have obtained weapons, they do not readily relinquish them.


b) From a "Culture of Arms" to a "Culture of Peace"
Tanaka Tsuyoshi, JCCP`s Representative in Cambodia, is currently supporting the collection and destruction of small arms advanced by the Cambodian government. This project is called "Weapons for Development". It is a legally authorized collection method that emphasizes the illegality of arms ownership. In return for the surrender of arms, the project offers regional development programs such as the construction of roads and the digging of wells. In comparison with a method that simply exchanges arms for money, this method has the merits of promoting economic independence and improving public welfare. However, to carry out such a difficult task as arms collection successfully, it is important to promote a peaceful approach to problem-solving, in other words, to cultivate a "culture of peace". It is also vital to raise awareness, in each community, of the problems that can arise from the ownership of small arms.

In addition to Tanaka, JCCP dispatches Gemma Kentaro to Cambodia in order to implement small arms collection in his capacity as Project Advisor to the Japanese Government’s small arms collection programs.


c) Small Arms Destruction Ceremony
In July 2001, the JCCP held a ceremony for the destruction of small arms in Kompong Chunang, north of the capital Phnom Penh. It was attended by Akashi Yasushi, Chairman, (see photo) and co-sponsored by the Cambodian Government and the E.U. In this ceremony, the 7000 small arms that had been collected in the area were destroyed in front of 10,000 members of the public. During the civil war, the number of small arms in Cambodia rose from 500,000 to one million and the number of small arms collected since the end of the civil war amounts to no more than 110,000. It is estimated that each family owns one gun, and it is this kind of "culture of arms" which is a major factor obstructing the spread of the market economy and democratization. Our hope is to remove citizens’ fears that "other citizens are still keeping their weapons hidden", through destroying weapons before their eyes.