¡¡¡¡SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Sept. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- More than 5,000 confiscated illegal weapons were destroyed Monday in Siem Reap province, more than 300 km from the capital.

¡¡¡¡General Hok Longdy, commissioner General of the National Policeand high representative of Deputy Prime Minister and co-Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, presided over the weapon destruction ceremony entitled "The Flame of peace".

¡¡¡¡This is the fourth major weapon destruction ceremony of 2002 organized by the royal government of Cambodia.

¡¡¡¡While urging those people who still possess illegal weapons to turn them over to the higher authorities, Hok Longdy calls on the armed forces and police to cooperate with local authorities in theefforts to maintain social security and public order.

¡¡¡¡Great progress has been made in nationwide ban and crackdown onillegal possession of weapons since the government issued a nationwide ban on firearms in earlier 1999.

¡¡¡¡According to government figures, the number of confiscated and voluntarily turned-in weapons had reached more than 119,000, of which more than 97,200 were already destroyed by the government. Enditem

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