Cambodia’s Golden Crown Casino narrowly avoids bomb plot

A Cambodian casino narrowly escaped disaster after an alert gambler noticed something odd during his trip to the loo.

On Sunday evening, members of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) successfully detonated a bomb discovered in the washroom of the Golden Crown Casino in Poipet. The bomb was discovered by a gambler who noticed a suspect Styrofoam box inside the casino’s washroom.

Following his discovery, the gambler alerted casino security staff, who gingerly moved the package outside to the casino’s parking lot. The authorities were called and the package’s contents were confirmed to contain an explosive device connected to a timer, leading police to order the evacuation of the casino and the surrounding area.

Reports from the scene vary, but it appears that the CMAC – who have vast experience clearing the country of the land mines, grenades and cluster bombs left behind during the country’s long periods of violent conflict – was responsible for the forced detonation of the device.