Cambodia burns weapons

Cambodia has marked its first arms reduction effort in areas formerly controlled by the Khmer Rouge by burning more than 5,000 weapons.

The ceremony took place in the northern town of Pailin 370km from Phnom Penh, one of the last refuges of the Khmer Rouge under whose regime more than two-million people are thought to have been killed.

The event was part of the European Union-sponsored "flame of peace" campaign, which aims to stop the proliferation of small arms in Cambodia.

The governor of Pailin, Y Chhien, said the ceremony underlined a commitment made by the Khmer Rouge to show the world that the region was at peace and ready to support plans to try the regime's leaders in an international tribunal.

Arms experts estimate that are still an estimated half-million illegal weapons circulating in Cambodia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service