Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - UXO caches uncovered in both Kandal, Pailin

UXO caches uncovered in both Kandal, Pailin

UXO caches uncovered in both Kandal, Pailin

Caches of unexploded ordnance were recovered in both Pailin and Kandal provinces on Saturday in what was a busy weekend for the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).

Twelve DK-82 mortar rounds and two B-41 rocket-propelled grenades were unearthed by canal workers digging behind the Pailin deputy provincial governor’s office on Saturday.

Provincial CMAC director Keo Pov said the recovered explosives were found in poor condition, but could nonetheless have caused harm to people and livestock. “Each month at least 100 to 200 mines . . . are discovered and collected by our experts for detonation,” Pov said.

Meanwhile, in Kandal province’s Kien Svay district, 50-year-old farmer Kem Mony uncovered two cases of ordnance buried in a jar while hunting for crickets, according to district police chief Pa Sam Ith.

“One [case] is for an M-79 [grenade launcher] and another is for an M-16. They are in 100 percent good condition,” Sam Ith said. “Now they have been impounded at a secure warehouse in Kampong Speu’s Odong district [office] by CMAC.”

Kem Mony said that at first glance he had hoped the jar would turn out to be full of buried treasure.

“In fact, at first I thought that it was wealth – money and jewellery – but when I opened the cover all I could see was the cartridges,” Mony said. “I was very concerned, so I hurried to report them to the police so they could impound them.”

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to