TM-46
The anti-tank mine most often found in Cambodia. Both Chinese-made and Soviet-made versions exist, and the Chinese-made TM-46 is said to be the most commonly found anti-tank mine in the country.
History
According to a study compiled by GICHD in 2014 (based on interviews with CMAC and the HALO Trust), the anti-tank mines most used in Cambodia were the TM-46, TM-57, and TM-62; the Soviet-made TM-46 is common in the north, while the Chinese-made TM-46 is the most commonly found model across the country. The Khmer Rouge is said to have obtained anti-tank mines mainly from China, government forces from the former Soviet Union and former East Germany, and the Vietnamese army from the former Czechoslovakia. Anti-tank mines came into full-scale use after the Vietnamese invasion of 1979; the Khmer Rouge laid them to defend its bases and to cut the roads used by government and Vietnamese forces. The K5 mine belt, built in 1984-85, is mostly anti-personnel mines but also contains anti-tank mines, and it is recorded that the Khmer Rouge dug up K5 mines and used them back against the side that had laid them. (Target year: 2014) [Ref 0103]
Dangers
This mine is designed to explode under heavy vehicles such as tanks, but it can also explode under farm tractors or vehicles carrying many people or heavy loads, which makes it very dangerous. You cannot tell where mines are buried just by looking. On roads or land where mines may remain, always follow the guidance of local people and the authorities.
Impact
In Cambodia, there have been accidents in which small tractors (rotavators) carrying people on their trailers ran over anti-tank mines. A TM-46 explosion killed 13 people in November 2010, and another accident killed 7 people in September 2012. (Target year: 2012) [Ref 0103]