An explosive device was found planted near the railway tracks in Boeung Kak II commune in the capital’s Tuol Kork district yesterday evening.

Phnom Penh deputy police commissioner Chuon Narin confirmed the device’s discovery, but referred requests for details to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), which had arrived to remove it.

CMAC director-general Heng Ratana said that while the organisation’s technical staff and police experts were still examining the device, pictures given to him suggested the device may have been intended to detonate remotely.

“The device could cause an explosion,” he said. “But I can’t say precisely how they would detonate it or how strong it is.”

Tuol Kork district police chief Huot Chanyarann said he was too busy to comment.

The discovery of the explosive device came at the end of a tension-filled day in the capital that saw more than 10 injured as police violently dispersed a crowd of demonstrators outside the Ministry of Information.