A rocket-propelled grenade from Cambodia’s civil war era exploded on Saturday, claiming the lives of two-year-old cousins Muo Lisa and Thum Yen in Siem Reap province. The lethal device – buried for over 25 years in Svay Leu district’s former Khmer Rouge battlegrounds – detonated as the children played near their farm homes.
Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) experts confirmed the explosive’s origin through fragments, revealing how unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains chemically unstable decades after conflicts end. “Their parents unknowingly settled on land that was an active combat zone in the 1990s,” CMAC Director-General Heng Ratana stated in a
heartbreaking Facebook post, adding
“This tragedy shows our peace remains stained by war’s invisible wounds.”
The incident underscores Cambodia’s ongoing struggle with:
- 4-6 million remaining land mines/UXO
- 20,000 postwar deaths from explosions
- 45,000 life-altering injuries since 1998
Despite a 75% reduction in annual casualties (49 deaths in 2023), rural communities face daily risks. Svay Leu’s dense forestation and eroded warning markers make UXO detection particularly challenging. CMAC reports over 2,100 sq km still require clearance – an area equivalent to 10% of Cambodia’s farmland.
Global partnerships remain crucial to Cambodia’s demining progress. A recent $6.36 million U.S. aid package resumed after a 90-day Trump-era freeze, funding operations through 2025. Cambodian teams – considered world leaders in UXO removal – concurrently assist U.N. missions in Iraq and Angola.
As families mourn the toddlers’ preventable deaths, Ratana urges international donors:
“Every delayed clearance mission risks creating new victims. Cambodia’s children deserve playgrounds, not minefields.”With 60% of UXO victims under age 15, this tragedy amplifies calls for accelerated demining in high-risk villages.
