(AP)-A member of the U.N. election team in Cambodia ran over an anti-tank mine outside
his house in what was believed to be a mine-free area in northeastern Cambodia, a
U.N. spokesman said on Sept. 28.
Joshi Sunjoy, a 33-year-old Indian, was in stable condition recovering from a chest
concussion, spokesman Eric Falt said.
He said Joshi was the first civilian member of the United Nations Transitional Authority
in Cambodia to be injured by a mine. An estimated 22,000 peacekeepers from about
40 countries are in Cambodia to prepare the country for elections by next May.
One of Joshi's rear tires triggered the mine in Snuol, about 175 kilometers northeast
of Phnom Penh, and the force of the explosion flipped his vehicle over, Falt said.
Sunjoy had to wait about six hours for the weather to clear before he could be flown
to Phnom Penh, where he was operated on in the U.N. field hospital, Falt said.
He said it was likely the mine was buried so deep that it had been undetectable and
that heavy rain in the area pushed the mine to the surface.
Millions of mines were scattered throughout the country during the past two decades
of conflict and regularly claim the lives and limbs of Cambodians.
The only other UNTAC member injured by a mine, a member of the Bangladeshi infantry
battalion, was clearing a company position June 19 in northwestern Cambodia when
it blew up, Falt said.
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