PHNOM PENH, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- About three tons of the most hazardous chemical found by police at a Cambodia's Kompong Speu province drug production lab have been neutralized and disposed of, local media reported Friday.

    "I am relieved that the first phase of the cleanup has been completed," Lars Pedersen, officer in charge of project office for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was quoted by the Cambodia Daily newspaper as saying.

    According to a statement issued Wednesday by the UNDOC, 25 tons of reagent chemicals and 15 tons of water were used to neutralize 3.2 tons of thionyl chloride, a highly corrosive chemical that could explode if it comes into contact with water.

    In the second phase of the chemical cleanup, 550 kg of acetone and 1.4 tons of other chemicals will be disposed of through incineration, the statement said.

    The chemicals, said to be precursors for the production of amphetamines, were discovered during a police raid in April and are being disposed of by the UNODC and the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) of Cambodia, the newspaper said.