14-8-2023 (PHNOM PENH) A high school campus in Kampong Cham Province, located in Northeast Cambodia, has been forced to temporarily close after the recent discovery of thousands of unexploded ordnances from the civil war era. Despite nearly 50 years having passed since the end of the war, Cambodia remains one of the countries with the highest number of hidden unexploded bombs and landmines in the world.
The head of Cambodia’s Mine Action Center revealed to Agence France-Presse that over the past three days, more than 2,000 explosive devices have been found within the school campus, including over 1,000 M79 grenades. These explosives were uncovered during land clearance activities as part of the school’s garden expansion project.
Given that the school served as a military base during the war, authorities anticipate the possibility of discovering additional explosive materials during the ongoing clearance process.
The civil war in Cambodia, which erupted in 1967, came to an end in 1975. During this period, the United States dropped numerous bombs and laid a significant number of landmines within Cambodian territory. Over the past four decades, approximately 20,000 people have lost their lives due to accidental encounters with landmines or unexploded bombs. The local government has pledged to clear all landmines and unexploded ordnances by 2025.
