Asia-Pacific

  • Japan is still blowing up unexploded ordnance on Okinawa nearly 77 years after World War II

    January 26, 2022

    On Wednesday, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted an underwater detonation of 315 artillery shells, grenades, and bullets, roughly a half-mile offshore at Naha Port’s Shinko Wharf, in Okinawa. The unexploded ordnance was recovered during dredging of Naha Port between March and Nov. 2021. A total of 634 munitions were recovered during dredging operations, a city ...

  • Australia: Former soldier wearing an explosive vest killed after it detonated in Melbourne’s south-east

    January 24, 2022

    A father has died after a homemade explosive device detonated inside his car as he was driving along Young Road in the southeast Melbourne suburb of Hallam. It’s understood the man was wearing an explosive vest that was triggered when his car hit a speed bump along the road. It then travelled a few hundred metres down ...

  • Western Australia: Queens Park man to face court accused of detonating makeshift explosive in Leederville

    January 21, 2022

    Police have charged a 29-year-old man they say detonated a homemade bomb near two busy Leederville restaurants just hours before he allegedly sparked another scare with a second crude explosive device. The man, who was refused police bail, is due to front Perth Magistrates Court on Friday charged with unlawfully causing an explosive device to explode ...

  • Philippines: NPA anti-personnel mines recovered in Eastern Samar

    January 20, 2022

    Police recovered on Jan. 19 four anti-personnel mines (APMs) in the mountains of Giporlos, Eastern Samar, stalling possible terrorist attacks by the New People’s Army (NPA). Joint operatives from the Eastern Samar police provincial office and Giporlos police station recovered the landmines on Wednesday morning in the vicinity of upland Huknan village in Giporlos town, police ...

  • Japan to assist Cambodia to become a landmine-free nation

    January 18, 2022

    Japan’s assistance to Cambodia in the decade’s long battle to clear vast areas of landmines in the country would perhaps be close to taking yet another step forward, going by the words of Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hayashi Yoshimasa. According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, a conversation to that effect took place ...

  • Philippines: Police foil IED attack in Lamitan City, Basilan province

    January 15, 2022

    State security forces foiled a bomb attack against an aspirant for town mayor as they prevented an improvised explosive device from blowing up Saturday in Lamitan City, Basilan province. Maj. Nurhaib Bungkac, Lamitan City police chief, said they coordinated with the Provincial K9 Unit after a suspicious item was found around 8:30 a.m. in front of ...

  • Philippines: Woman killed in Basilan town explosion

    January 12, 2022

    A woman was killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off early Tuesday, January 11, 2022, in Sumisip, Basilan province, the police said. Police Major Faisal Tandico, Sumisip police chief, identified the fatality as Junayra Saad, 47, single, a resident of Upper Benembengan village, Sumisip. Tandico said Saad went to a creek near their residence to ...

  • Philippines: 6 hurt in North Cotabato bus bomb blast

    January 11, 2022

    At least six persons were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off inside a traveling Mindanao Star Bus (MSB) in Barangay San Mateo here Tuesday. Col. Henry Villar, provincial police director, said investigators were still at the blast site conducting a post-blast investigation following the 8:10 a.m. explosion at the rear portion of the ...

  • Cambodia: Anti-tank mine kills 3 demining experts in Preah Vihear province

    January 10, 2022

    A anti-tank mine leftover from Cambodia’s civil war exploded on Monday killing three members of a local demining team as they carried out their work, their organization announced. The group Cambodia Self Help Demining said in a Facebook post that the team of experts had been responding to an alert in the northern province of Preah ...

  • Cambodia: Temple tourist sites are mine clearing priorities

    January 9, 2022

    The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) has cleared more than 40ha of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in two temple areas in Preah Vihear province and continues to do so at the request of the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV), according to an NAPV Facebook post. The post added that CMAC began clearing landmines there ...

  • Indonesian prosecutors seek life for Bali bombing suspect

    January 5, 2022

    Indonesian prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a life sentence for a top terror suspect who eluded capture for 18 years and accused him of masterminding a series of deadly attacks in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Aris Sumarsono, 58, whose real name is Arif Sunarso but is better known as Zulkarnaen, sat impassively as the prosecution ...

  • Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) investigates Bomb Explosion

    January 5, 2022

    The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) have responded to a report of an explosion incident, which occurred at Mbarana area, North West Guadalcanal on 4 January 2021. Initial reports said that the explosion occurred approximately 320m from the Mbarana Community. It is likely that a fire had been ...

  • Thailand: 6 bomb explosions in Yala on New Year’s Eve

    January 2, 2022

    Six bombs exploded in this southern border province on Dec 31 – two in Muang district and four in Bannang Sata – and the Barisan Revolosi Nasional (BRN) claimed responsibility for the blasts, Pol Maj Gen Tinnakorn Rangmat, the provincial police chief, confirmed on Sunday. In Muang district, the explosions took place at two spots. At the ...

  • Philippines: 22 bombs found at a Zamboanga construction site

    December 21, 2021

    A total of 22 bombs were found at a construction site in Barangay Cabatangan in Zamboanga City last Monday, December 20. A Police Regional Office-9 report said 52-year-old Alex Glinogo y Cruz, a Cabatangan resident, was digging at a construction site near the Civil Service Commission office when he saw what looked like an explosive. Upon processing, ...

  • Philippines: Boy dies, teen hurt in Zamboanga City explosion

    December 20, 2021

    A 12-year-old boy was killed while a teenager was wounded in an explosion Monday in a coastal barangay, this city. Lawisan said that based on the information they gathered from the third victim who was unscathed, the children found a “tube” while they were swimming beside the Naval Station-Rio Hondo. She said the object exploded after one ...

  • In Myanmar’s Chin state, a grassroots rebellion grows

    December 13, 2021

    The former boxer said he and his comrades were perched on a hillside near the town of Mindat, in Myanmar’s northwest, and preparing to ambush a patrol of soldiers when the troops opened fire and a bullet smashed into his forearm. “I tried to run but I got shot again in the upper arm,” Za Latt ...

  • Hawaii: Live High Explosive Mortar Found on Maui Wedged in a Tree

    December 10, 2021

    An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from the Army rendered a high explosive mortar safe after it was found wedged in the trunk of a tree in South Maui earlier this week. The incident was reported on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 when security personnel with Haleakalā Ranch contacted police after locating the device. The report indicated the ...

  • Queensland Police first in Australia to award national bomb technician diploma

    December 9, 2021

    Four Queensland Police Service (QPS) members are the first police officers in Australia to be awarded the national Diploma of Police Bomb Technical Response, after they graduated from a six-week course run by the Explosive Ordnance Response Team on Friday, December 3. Constable Joe Berra, Constable Chris Worger and Constable Phillip Kelly from Townsville, and Constable ...