Mine kills soldier on Thai-Cambodian border

 

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

A deputy commander from the military’s border patrol was killed after stepping on an anti-personnel mine on Saturday while patrolling the Cambodian-Thai border in Oddar Meanchey province.

The incident took place at about 6am on a ridge in the Dangrek Mountains in Ta Moan Sen Chey village in Kork Mon commune in the province’s Banteay Ampil district.

Major Keo Saroeun, deputy commander of the 421st Platoon based in Kork Mon district named the victim as Chief Warrant Officer Muy Toeum, 32, Commander of Group I and Deputy Commander of the 421st Platoon.

Maj Saroeun said that at the time of the accident, Toeum, went outside the military base to relieve himself in the forest.

While Toeum was walking towards an area about 15 metres from the post he stepped on the “K59” Russian-made anti-personnel mine which was placed there during the civil war.

The explosion blew off one of Toeum’s legs, blinded both eyes and damaged both his hands. The extent of the injuries killed him on the spot.

“After hearing the explosion, other soldiers on duty alerted the platoon commander for assistance as they couldn’t access the area because there would have been more anti-personnel mines there,” Maj Saroeun told Khmer Times yesterday.

“The platoon commander contacted military de-miners and de-miners from the Cambodia Mines Action Centre (CMAC) based in the district for assistance,” he said.

He noted that after demining the area, soldiers removed Toeum’s body and sent it to his platoon in Kork Mon district.

After military doctors examined the victim’s body, the platoon commander sent it to his family living in Samrong city for a funeral.

He added that this was a regrettable accident and joined with the family in mourning Chief Warrant Officer Toeum’s death. The Ministry of National Defence yesterday contributed 10 million riels ($ 2,500) to his family for the funeral.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cambodia Attends the 13th World Swimming Championship in Italy

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The six Cambodian delegates will leave for the 13th World Swimming Championship, scheduled over nine days from the July 25 to August 2, 2009 in Rome, Italy. The delegates will depart on July 21. Their number will include two national male swimmers and a couple of female junior swimmers. They will be supported by one coach and one member of the sport’s governing body. The World Swimming Championship is organized by the International Amateur Swimming Federation (IASF), which was founded in the 1950s, according to Hem Thon, National Coach and Secretary General of the Khmer Amateur Swimming Federation (KASF). He also said that 115 countries besides Cambodia would send swimmers to Italy to take part in the competition. “This is the third year that Cambodia has sent a swimming team to the World Swimming Championships. We are looking forward to competing with the best swimmers in the world and hopefully winning a couple of medals for our country. It is also be a great...
Read more

Chan Tra: Life of a Cambodian Traditional Tattoo Artist

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Among tattooists in Cambodia, Chan Tra, 46, is the only tattoo artist to retain the ability to ink a wide range of subjects in different styles. His modern counterparts are limited in their repertoire in comparison. His subjects include the human form, birds and abstract patterns. Chan Tra is now an expert in drawing Ankor Wat on the skin of foreign clients, thus turning them into walking, talking promotional materials for Cambodia’s tourist sector. Chan Tra was born in 1963 in Sihanouk province and has two sons and one daughter. He is an orphaned and a Survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He lost his entire family during the years of terror between 1975 and 1979. “I have loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child and practised my art every day before the arrival of the Pol Pot regime. Consequently, I like the art of tattooing and it makes a solid source of income to keep my wife and kids happy,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly during a personal i...
Read more

TV5 Selects Freshie Girls and Boys 2009

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Ten Cambodian teenagers, five girls and five boys, were selected as “Cambodian Freshie Girls and Boys” for 2009. The “Freshie Girls and Boys” competition took place on March 30 at the TV5’s station in Phnom Penh and was organized by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces’ Television Channel 5 (TV5). Bun Kert, Director of the “Freshie Girls and Boys Organizational Committee” of the TV5, said more than 1,000 Cambodian youth applied for the competition, but through many different phases of the competition, only 20 girls and boys who reached the final round on March 30. He said the main objective of the competition is to promote and encourage Cambodian young people to show their personal abilities and skills and knowledge in order to become a future leader, good speaker or TV hosts in Cambodia. “This is the eighth “Freshie Girls and Boys” competition organized by TV5 in Phnom Penh. The main purpose of the competition is to select the freshie girls and boys for Cambodia i...
Read more