PMN
One of the anti-personnel mines most often found in Cambodia. Many still remain in the long mine belt called the K5, built along the border with Thailand.
History
In Cambodia, civil war continued even after the Vietnamese army toppled the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, and it is estimated that all the warring factions together laid about 4 million landmines by the end of 1998. In the mid-1980s, the government side of the time built a mine belt called the K5 along the Thai border. Its reported length varies by source, from about 750 km to 1,046 km, but it is considered one of the most densely mined places in the world. GICHD (the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining) reports that the PMN and PMN-2 mines remaining in the K5 are highly durable mines that stay functional more than 30 years after being laid. (Target year: 2018) [Ref 0096][Ref 0102][Ref 0103][Ref 0104]
Dangers
This is an anti-personnel mine that explodes when stepped on. It can keep its explosive power even after many years. If you find something that might be a landmine, never go near it, never touch it, and tell an adult or an organization such as CMAC right away.
Impact
Across Cambodia, more than 65,000 people are recorded as killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance since 1979, and about 18,800 of them died (this is not a figure for the PMN alone; it is the total as posted by the HALO Trust — for the latest cumulative figures from CMVIS, see the statistics page). (Target year: 2025) [Ref 0099][Ref 0100]
Current status
Parts of the K5 mine belt along the Thai border are reported to still contain mines at a density as high as about 2,400 mines per kilometer. As more people move to the border area to open farmland, residents are increasingly exposed to the danger of landmines. (Target year: 2018) [Ref 0102]