Arya News - The museum traces decades of Cambodia`s historical conflicts, hoping to become an important destination for those who seek understand the consequences of war, the continuing threat posed by mines and explosive remnants, and efforts to promote a culture of peace.
PHNOM PENH – Landmines, cluster munitions, aerial bombs and other explosive remnants recovered from clearance sites across Cambodia are being preserved at the Techo Peace Museum as physical evidence of the country’s wartime legacy and as lasting lessons for future generations about the value of peace.
Located in Anlong Pir village, Trapeang Thom commune, Prasat Bakong district of Siem Reap province, the museum is administered by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC). Although the concept has been under consideration for more than two decades, work on developing the museum in its current form began in 2022.
CMAC director-general Heng Ratana said the centre has been in development for more than two decades, with the intention of eventually establishing a museum. An interim exhibition was arranged in 2017.
The museum is administered by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).
According to Ratana, the purpose of the museum extends beyond preserving weapons and other remnants of conflict. The museum aims to use physical evidence to illustrate the suffering and destruction caused by war and, through those lessons, promote a culture of peace.
“When we do not know pain, we do not know how valuable it is to be free from pain,” he said.
Ratana noted that presenting history alongside authentic physical evidence is especially important in an era of rapidly developing technology and artificial intelligence, highlighting that images can be digitally generated but cannot replace genuine historical artefacts.
As part of its mine and explosive ordnance clearance operations, CMAC has preserved selected remnants recovered from sites across Cambodia, as evidence of the destruction and suffering left by decades of conflict.
Lay Phoeun, deputy director responsible for operations and explosive ordnance, explained during a tour of the museum that the mine casings and ordnance on display are genuine. All have been rendered free from explosives and no longer pose an explosive hazard, although visitors are instructed not to touch them.
He stressed that the mines and ordnance were not imported from other countries for exhibition. They were recovered in Cambodia, although many were originally manufactured in different countries.
The museum’s exhibition halls trace Cambodia’s history of conflict and display different types of mines used during wartime, alongside a simulated minefield, unexploded ordnance (UXO), cluster munitions, aerial bombs and other explosive weapons.
The museum exhibits examples of some of the large aerial munitions which were dropped on Cambodia during the wars of the past.
Among the exhibits are anti-personnel mines, anti-vehicle and anti-tank mines and various forms of cluster munitions. Displays also explain the technical distinction between UXOs – ordnance that was fired, dropped or otherwise deployed but failed to explode – and abandoned explosive ordnance left behind during conflict.
Beyond the weapons themselves, the museum focuses on their consequences for people.
One particularly striking exhibit is a prosthetic leg fashioned by a landmine survivor from a DK75 ammunition casing.
According to Phoeun, the survivor constructed the makeshift prosthesis himself for personal use. The man has since passed away, but the prosthesis has been preserved as testimony to the hardships faced by people injured by mines and other explosive remnants of war.
Another section documents assistance provided to survivors, including prosthetic limbs and other forms of support. Vehicles and machinery that was damaged by anti-vehicle and anti-tank mines are also on display.
Among the larger pieces on display is an aerial bomb which CMAC officials said was recovered from the Mekong River near the Sokha Hotel in 2022, opposite the Royal Palace.
During the tour, officials said records indicated that 11 bombs of this type were dropped in the area. One was recovered by CMAC, while the fate of the remaining 10 remains unclear, including whether they exploded or remain somewhere in the area.
The exhibitions are designed not merely to identify different weapons, but to take visitors through a broader narrative – from war and the weapons used in it, to their impact on civilians, survivor assistance and, ultimately, the importance of peace.
Ratana said years of planning, research and coordination had gone into the project, noting that establishing the museum involved far more than constructing a building.
He noted that the project had received support from Prime Minister Hun Manet and Senate president Hun Sen, with the Japanese government providing support for the museum’s construction.
CMAC hopes the museum will become an important destination for members of the public who seek to understand the consequences of war, the continuing threat posed by mines and explosive remnants, and efforts to promote a culture of peace.
Ratana noted that preserving these physical remnants is ultimately about ensuring that future generations understand not only what war leaves behind, but also what it means to live without it.
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