You won’t find the “freedom to walk” inscribed in any UN conventions or national constitutions, but for 24-year-old Richard Yim, it’s one of the most important rights in the world.
Taken for granted in most places, such a freedom can be difficult to find in parts of northeast Cambodia. It’s a problem Richard saw first-hand growing up in Banteay Meanchey province, where he learned at a young age the disastrous effects that unexploded ordnance, or UXO, can have on civilians.
After moving to Canada when he was 13 years old and getting a degree in mechanical engineering, the dual Cambodian-Canadian citizen returned to the Kingdom last week for the local launch of his robotics company, called Demine Robotics, which he hopes will change the way UXO is removed.
“I want to push and give opportunity to everyone – regardless of where they were born – to have the freedom to walk just like any other places,” the new CEO said in a recent interview.
The team has been working on a demining robot in Canada for several years, but Demine Robotics marks the first official foray into the Cambodian market. The company has announced plans to bring its third robot prototype, named the Excavator, to the country for testing in May.
Demining in Cambodia is a slow, labour-intensive process. About 4,000 mine removal specialists work to clear large swathes of land, removing decades-old explosives with metal detectors and shovels.
“It should change,” Richard said of the current demining process. “We have travelled far, and we should not still send humans with shovels to dig the mines.”
In addition to safety concerns, the UXO removal process in Cambodia is painstaking work. A UN report from late 2016 showed Cambodia was far behind its demining goals, and was unlikely to meet a deadline of 2025 to remove all UXO from the country.
Given that the majority of funding for Cambodia’s demining operation comes from abroad, some experts have suggested international donors could start to withdraw funding if the pace of removal doesn’t accelerate.
