UXO safely removed from Pailin mountain

SIX pieces of unexploded ordnance discovered by Borya villagers in Pailin province on Tuesday were safely removed by Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) officials yesterday.

Pailin town police said a farmer discovered four unexploded B-40 rocket-propelled grenades and two 75mm mortar shells on Check Mountain while using an excavator to flatten land in order to increase the size of his farm.

Chhun Chheuy, acting police chief, said authorities contacted CMAC yesterday seeking help with the extraction of the UXOs.

All six were safely removed from the highland farm, according to Keo Pov, the demining agency’s technical team director in the province.

“The unexploded ordnance has been impounded at a safe place and is awaiting detonation,” Pov said.

Pov said that, as a scene of many battles between the Khmer Rouge and government troops through the 1990s, Pailin remains home to numerous land mines and unexploded ordnance.

He added that a young boy had recently stepped on a mine, blowing off one of his legs.

Separately, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon yesterday appealed to British Ambassador to Cambodia William Longhurst for aid in Cambodian demining operations.

According to the ministry, Longhurst said he would push the British government to provide financial and technical assistance to the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC), which is headquartered in Phnom Penh.