Over 500 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO), including bullets and a 100mm mortar shell, have been found and collected in Pursat province’s Bakan district.
Villagers discovered the UXO and reported the find to the authorities. Halo Trust, an NGO which removes debris left behind by war, collected the UXO in three villages in Talou commune, Bakan district, said Prom Sora, the deputy district police chief.
“Villagers handed over 514 [AK-47 bullets] pieces and our authorities collected five pieces of UXO, so in total there are 519 ammunitions,” he said.
Local authorities and the Halo Trust destroyed the UXO on Wednesday, Sora said.
In 2015, villagers in Talou also discovered 104 boxes of bullets when they were farming.
Pring Panharith, an officer with the Cambodia Mine Action Centre’s provincial bureau, said there are various pieces of UXO in Pursat, most of it in Veal Veng and Phnom Kravanh districts.
“UXO is a legacy of war. Phnom Kravanh district has the highest record of victims from the remnants in Pursat,” Panharith said.
