Government deminers on Saturday successfully cleared more than 100 US-made cluster bomblets from a rice field in Kandal province’s Muk Kampoul district, according to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).

CMAC director Heng Ratana said yesterday that 132 of the CBU-25 anti-personnel munitions – which he said were approved by the US for use in 1973, and were still in working condition – were found and removed.

The discovery was made outside of an area that CMAC had focused on clearing after having received information from the US Department of Defense that it may contain unexploded ordnance.

“The quality of cluster bombs that we just found on Saturday was 100 per cent good, and they were found 1,700 metres from our pilot project,” Ratana said.

According to Ratana, the cluster munitions are more explosive than typical mines, and are equipped with an especially sensitive triggering system.

Deminers cleared a similar amount of cluster munitions just last month in the same district, he added.

The munitions cleared on Saturday were taken to the CMAC training centre in Kampong Chhnang province, where the explosives inside will be rendered inert so the bomblets can be used as a training aid for new CMAC recruits, Ratana said.