Cambodian Mine Action Centre destroys 120 cluster bomblets in Ratanakiri controlled explosion
PHNOM PENH: A total of 120 cluster munitions, remnants from previous wars in the Kingdom, were destroyed in a controlled explosion by experts from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) in Ratanakiri province's O'Chum district on Monday (May 12).
The 'bomblets' were destroyed in a cashew plantation in Kamen Thom village, in Samakki commune.
According to CMAC, the cluster munitions were from a CBU-25/A air-dropped bomb, typically containing 132 bomblets.
During Monday's operation, 120 of them were determined to remain capable of exploding.
CMAC reported that a farmer discovered the munitions buried approximately one metre deep on his farm, and informed the centre immediately.
'Due to the unsafe condition of the bomblets, which could not be safely defused or transported, the only option was to destroy them on-site. This on-site destruction caused some damage to a number of cashew trees, but the plantation owner can now enjoy peace and safety, free from the ongoing threat of these munitions,' said CMAC, in a social media post.
The 120 cluster munitions were likely all from a single CBU-25/A bomb, dropped from a US aircraft. - Photo: CMAC
The demining unit expressed gratitude to the owner of the cashew plantation for their full cooperation.
Between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s, Cambodia was subjected to heavy bombing, with more tonnage dropped by the US than by the allies' combined efforts in World War Two.
According to CMAC director-general Heng Ratana, it is estimated that during this period, some three million tonnes of bombs, including approximately 30 million cluster munitions, were dropped on more than 10,000 targets across the Kingdom. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
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