The 43rd Flame of Peace ceremony will be held in southwestern Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Tuesday, at which at least 4,000 surplus military weapons will be destroyed.

Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Minister of National Defense Tea Banh will preside at the ceremony, according to EU ASAC, the program of the European Union to assist Cambodia in small arms management on Friday.

The royal government of Cambodia has regularly been destroying surplus weapons that have either been confiscated as illegal weapons from the civilian population or declared surplus weapons by the Ministry of National Defense.

After the destruction in Sihanoukville the total number of weapons destroyed in Cambodia since May 1999 will be over 175,000.

David de Beer, the EU ASAC Project Manager, underlined the importance of the Sihanoukville destruction ceremony. "The weapons which have been left over from a Registration and Safe Storage project can sometimes easily be stolen or find their way into the hands of criminals or be sold illegally overseas," he said, adding that "the Cambodian Government must be praised for its decision to destroy all weapons which are not needed by the army after EU ASAC helps to securely store the weapons it does need."

Presently the exhibition "To be Deter-mined" has been displayed at the Wat Phnom Exhibition Center in Phnom Penh, illustrated EU ASAC's weapons collection and destruction work.

Other themes covered by the exhibition are art and furniture made from destroyed weapons by Peace Art Cambodia as well as the activities of the Cambodian National Volleyball League -Disabled ( CNVLD) whose sportsmen are largely landmine and war victims.

Source: Xinhua