Experts from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre found 19 cluster munitions on Thursday in the province of Kratie. These are the unexploded innards of cluster bombs dropped by the USAF during the Vietnam War.
Heng Ratana, director-general of the CMAC said that – for many years – the UXOs were buried under a road that is used daily by local villagers. “We just found 19 cluster munitions hidden there, if the people had known about it they would have been forbidden to drive, or even walk, on this road,” he said.
According to CMAC, since January of this year, the experts have found and destroyed 37,448 landmines and remnants of the war throughout the Kingdom. In addition, minefields covering about 8,636 hectares have been cleared.
Cluster munitions and other remnants of war have also been found in Kampong Cham and Tboung Khmum provinces, while other anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines were found in Battambang, Pursat and Oddar Meanchey provinces.
Land mines are meant to be buries, while other UXOs sink, in the course of time, into the earth due to erosion.
