After a 17-hour effort, Hong Kong police successfully dismantled a bomb discovered in the downtown area on Jan. 7. The bomb was left over from the American army's bombardment of Japanese army facilities during World War Ⅱ. A military equipment expert pointed out that weapons left over from World War Ⅱ can do long-term damage; this also applies to the war which broke out nearly 70 years ago and the crimes of Japanese army which invaded China.

Professor Tan Kaijia, vice-director of Military Logistics and Equipment Teaching and Research Department of the University of National Defense of the People's Liberation Army was interviewed by a reporter from Xinhua News Agency. He analyzed the impact of unexploded bombs from World War Ⅱ on the contemporary world in terms of technology and war.

In terms of technology, the bomb discovered in Hong Kong on Jan. 6 was very powerful. In the late period of World WarⅡ, the TNT explosive in American army's bombs was both heavy and high grade. According to the report, the two fuses of the bomb, which was produced nearly 70 years ago, were both in working order. This indicates that the workmanship and quality of munitions was very high at that time.

Why did the bomb not explode on impact? World War II bombs were detonated by fuses, while contemporary bombs are detonated by an automatic trigger; in the opinion of Tan Kaijia this bomb remained unexploded for such a long time possibly because it landed on a loose and soft ground and the fuse of the bomb was not ignited,; or it may have suffered a breakdown. In fact it is not uncommon for aerial bombs to remain unexploded on battlefields. Therefore, many unexploded bombs have been left around the world.

According to Tan Kaijia, such left-over bombs represent a long-term threat to people. It is nearly 70 years since the World War ended., and they still threaten to take victims.

The Japanese army invaded Hong Kong in those years and committed terrible war crimes. In order to recover Hong Kong, the American army supported China's anti-Japanese struggles; the historic fact reflected by this bomb reminds us of the facts of the Japanese invasion of East Asia countries and regions including mainland China and Hong Kong.

"The damage that war causes to the people involved is enormous and long-term. Only one conventional bomb has been discovered on this occasion. However, the Japanese army invaded many places in China and left behind many chemical weapons. Those weapons can have pose a much greater future threat to Chinese people," said Tan Kaijia.

The article is edited and translated from《二战遗留武器对人类社会危害长远》, source: xinhuanet.com, author: Yan Hao, Zhang Yashi.