CMAC destroyed 45 rockets and rocket propelled grenades in a controlled explosion on May 28. CMAC
A specialised team from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) safely destroyed 45 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in a controlled explosion on May 28. The war-era munitions were buried in a rice field in Treal village, of Thma Puok district’s Kok Kathin commune.
A local farmer unearthed one of the UXOs while ploughing the field and immediately reported his find to the authorities. A team from CMAC conducted a search and identified two pits containing 45 munitions in total.
They included 30 B-40 rockets and 15 B-62 rocket-propelled grenades, Heng Ratana, CMAC director-general, reported this morning.
The demining unit also worked with local authorities to raise awareness among the public, encouraging greater participation in preventing and protecting against the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Heng Ratana expressed his gratitude for the peace that has allowed these buried munitions — abandoned without further combat among Cambodians — to be dealt with permanently.
One of CMAC’s courageous deminers prepares unexploded ordnance for demolition. CMAC
Earlier this month, on May 12, a CMAC explosives disposal team from Demining Unit 5 destroyed a cluster bomb in Ratanakkiri province.
The CBU-25/A cluster bomb was dropped from a US aircraft, most likely in the 1970s. When dropped, it contained 132 BLU-24/B submunitions. About 120 of the submunitions remained unexploded inside the casing, posing a significant danger.
The bomb was found buried about one metre deep in a cashew plantation in Kamen Thom village, Samaki commune, O’Chum district. At the time, the authorities thanked the cashew plantation for his cooperation in the controlled explosion, which damaged several cashew trees.
CMAC reminded the public that nearly 30 million cluster bombs were dropped on Cambodia over a period of more than 10 years, from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s, with more than 10,000 sites recorded across the Kingdom.
The munitions were discovered buried in two pits, after a farmer unearthed a rocket while ploughing his field. CMAC
30 B-40 rockets and 15 B-62 rocket-propelled grenades were destroyed in the operation. CMAC
