A 66-year-old man was killed when an anti-tank mine exploded near Trapeang Romseng village and commune, in Tbong Khmum’s Ponhea Krek district on July 1.
A 66-year-old man was killed when an anti-tank mine exploded near Trapeang Romseng village and commune, in Tbong Khmum’s Ponhea Krek district on July 1. In a separate case, a demining officer was grievously wounded when an artillery shell detonated in the same province on June 29.
A July 2 social media post by the Cambodia Mine Action Authority (CMAA) said that the deceased farmer was Leng Than. Prior to the explosion, the victim was seen digging post holes for a new fence around his plantation, about one kilometre from the village. It is believed that his activities triggered a long-buried anti-tank mine.
“The mine authority urges all citizens to avoid any area that is unknown to them. They should contact the authorities before entering such locations. In addition, if they discover mines or unexploded ordnance (UXO) they should not touch them and should report them to the relevant authorities so that demining operators can dispose of them,” added the post.
Tbong Khmum was declared mine-free at the end of 2022. It is one of 14 provinces that have been declared free of the silent killers, in addition to the capital, Phnom Penh.
CMAA spokesman Lang Kosal explained to The Post that although the province has been declared mine-free, some hidden mines may remain as clearance activities were carried out at minefields that were known to the authorities and other areas that had been identified as housing mines.
In Tbong Khmum, he noted that Memot district was the last district which was known to contain landmines. It was the last district to be cleared before the mine-free declaration was made.
He explained that the part of Ponhea Kraek district where the incident took place was not a known minefield location. The explosion occurred in an area that had not been previously identified as at risk.
“We cannot identify all of the mines or explosive remnants of war (ERW) that are scattered across the country. Our research and the identification of minefields is based on information received from various people, and some of the information may be lost,” he added.
He said that senior minister Ly Thuch, CMAA first vice-president, had sent a team of deminers to investigate the incident.
“The explosion, in an area that we have not identified, is a sign that there may be other landmines in the area,” he noted.
“Therefore, a team has travelled there to inspect the location more closely,” he added.
In a separate case on June 29, a demining officer from the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) was seriously wounded when a 76mm artillery shell exploded.
Heng Ratana, general director of CMAC, said the victim was Lim Touch, a CMAC UXO officer. The incident took place at the security warehouse of the CMAC unit headquarters in Tbong Khmum province.
He explained that as of July 2, Touch was recovering from emergency operations at Kampong Cham Referral Hospital. He was well cared for, but had lost both of his hands.
“CMAC will provide full support for his physical therapy and rehabilitation. Prosthetics will be provided and a suitable position will be found for him at the unit,” he added, in a social media post.
On July 1, Thuch met with Japanese ambassador to Cambodia Atsushi Ueno. The two discussed strengthening cooperation in the field of mine action.
Thuch thanked the people and government of Japan for their active support for humanitarian mine action in Cambodia for more than 30 years. He noted that Cambodia considers Japan a good partner, and a prominent and long-lasting one.
“Japan's participation in demining has contributed to poverty reduction through safe land clearance. The reduced risk of landmines has improved agriculture throughout the Kingdom,” he said.
Thuch also reiterated Cambodia's support for Japan as it chairs the 22nd meeting of the Ottawa Convention in 2025.
