August 31, 2018
Museum owner questioned over recent explosion

A Siem Reap prosecutor yesterday questioned the owner and two deputy presidents of the Akira Museum in Banteay Srey district over an explosion and fire on Monday.

District Governor Nop Vuthy yesterday identified the museum president as Mr Akira, and the other two as Eoun Yun and Hanh Sokunthea.

All were brought in for questioning after an explosion in a room storing unexploded ordnances in the museum.

“The police also seized a number of unexploded ordnances,” Mr Vuthy added.

A Cambodian Mine Action Centre official confirmed that no one was injured in the incident, but the room was almost completely destroyed.

Provincial police chief Major General Tit Narong yesterday said police decided to close the museum for an unspecified period after they found that the permits needed to store and display several unexploded ordnances had expired.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50528806/m ... explosion/

Unexploded bombs stored in a "museum" room! The mind boggles.

hooker museum closes after visitors contracted STDs from exhibits

strobe light closes after visitors had seizures after looking at exhibits

banana peel museum closes after visitors slips n falls on exhibits

Siem Reap court charges Akira, his two officials with illegal weapon possession
September 2, 2018
The Siem Reap provincial court charged three people managing Akira Museum with illegal weapon possession after an explosion and fire on Monday.

Siem Reap provincial police identified three men as Eoun Yeak well-known as Akira, owner of the Akira Museum, his executive director Heanh Sokunthea and deputy director Oeun Yun who were arrested for questioning on August 28 after an explosion and fire on August 27 in Banteay Srey district.

“The court decided to detain three people, including the owner and his two officials with illegal weapon possession on Saturday,” Mr Srang said, adding that they were charged with article 23 of management of weapons, explosives and ammunition.

Police said that they shut down the museum for an unspecified period after they found that the permits needed to store and display several unexploded ordnances had expired.

Akira, also known as Eoun Yeak, is a former Khmer Rouge child soldier who is now a deminer and the museum’s curator. He has devoted his life to removing landmines in Cambodia and caring for young landmine victims.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50529227/s ... ossession/

hanno wrote: ↑Sat Sep 01, 2018 3:25 pm To be precise: three people are currently in jail. Kids from what I understand.

Gasp! Exposure to UXO must have cause premature ageing syndrome. Those poor poor kids.

Post titles you only read in Cambodia.

That's a pretty big deal for Aki Ra to be arrested. As I posted on the other thread, he's a bit of a national hero:



Some of their recovered items:


It's common for UXO to be destroyed or disarmed privately, and sometimes accidents do happen:
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... ed-marines

But no arrests there

Children taken into state care after arrest of Akira museum director
September 6, 2018
Seventeen children under the care of the Cambodian Landmine Museum, also known as the Akira museum, have been brought to the Siem Reap provincial department of social affairs following the arrests of the museum’s directors.

Oeun Yeak, also known as Akira, the owner of the museum that caught fire last week, has been jailed along with two of his deputies over the illegal possession of explosives and munitions, charges that were laid after the fire.

Provincial police chief Tith Narong said yesterday that the children were brought under the care of the provincial department of social affairs.

Or Mao, director of provincial department of social affairs, confirmed that there were seventeen children in his department’s care, including seven girls.
“We brought them to our centre on August 29 when the museum was shut down,” he said. “Right now, we are trying to get support from generous people to help support them.”

Mr Mao noted that the department is contacting the families of the children in order to integrate them back into the community.

After the museum fire on Monday of last week, police closed the museum, which lacked proper permits to store and display unexploded ordnances. Authorities also confiscated nine bombs, 15 mines, 325 bullets and other explosives.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50530760/c ... -director/

Mine museum being guarded
17 September 2018
Guards have been placed around the recently shuttered Cambodian Landmine Museum in Siem Reap after its founder Aki Ra was arrested late last month for illegal weapons possession.

Many shops and vendors adjacent to the former tourist destination have also ceased operations due to a loss in customers.

A dozen soldiers have been on round-the-clock guard at the premises. A poster on the facade says that it is temporarily closed but will reopen later.

One 40-year-old vendor who works near the museum claimed she used to earn around 150,000 riel ($36.50) per day but can’t sell anything now that the place is closed.

Sa Mun, a nearby noodle shop owner, said she felt bad for the children who came to her shop. She said the museum gave her a monthly allowance to give out food to the schoolchildren.

“I heard American donors support those kids and they bring the kids to their homes,” she said, adding that Ra’s relatives owned shops in the area, which are also closed.

But Ray, a soldier who identified himself as the deputy chief of the group guarding the museum grounds, said since the shutdown, his group has been posted there 24 hours a day.
“Visitors come, but they are not permitted to enter,” he said.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... ng-guarded