Chip Pride: Day 11...or the day of landmines

Landmines are a really big deal in Cambodia. The landmines are remnants of the U.S. war against Vietnam as well as the Khmer Rouge party during the Civil War during the 70s. Vietnam utilized Cambodia to supply its trops and unforutnatley many of the bombs the U.S. dropped didn't explode on impact and still litter the countryside. The bombs that actually exploded are estimated to have killed over half a million civillians. The Khmer Rouge army used many land mines, which only explode when stepped on or touched. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre estimates up to six million mines and unxploded ordance might still exist, mostly in the Cambodian countryside.

The number of targets the U.S. had in Cambodia from 65-73

Today, there are many NGOs working to disarm and return villages and farms back to safety. However, it is still not uncommon to read a story about children playing in the field who step on an anti-personnel mine and lose their foot/leg/arm at best and their life at worst. Most of the mines are in very rural areas especially farms, which means that there are additional complications for land mine victims in obtaining proper care. Cambodian officials estimate 15% of victims have to travel over three days to a proper hospital.

Different types of landmines

The Cambodian Landmine Museum was started by a man who was responsible for laying landmines for the Khmer Rouge regime during the Civil War. At 10 years old, Aki Ra's entire family was killed by the rebels and he was forced to be a soldier for the Khmer Rouge army. When Vietnam invaded Cambodia to depose of the Khmer Rouge regime, Ra defected to their army. He later elisted with the army of the new Cambodian government. In this role, he laid many landmines on the Cambdoian-Thai border.

After his service, Aki Ra began defusing landmines in Cambodia. He was trained by the UN but left their program after one year to return to Cambodia. As a deminer here, he had no tools for demining. He defused bombs with a knife, a hoe, and a stick. These methods were not approved and Ra was

imprisoned twice for failure to comply with demining regulations. In the mean time, his collection of defused bombs continued to grow and tourists started hearing about Ra and his house filled with old landmines. Ra started charing a dollar for admission.

After his second incarceration, Ra attended a demining school and obtained official certification. He used the certificate and his many years of experience to establish a NGO "Cambodian Self Help Demining". Official demining certification is important because the metals from the bombs and landmines can be used for scrap and so many less skilled Cambodians were dying trying to defuse bombs to sell the metal for money. This is the main reason the Cambodian government cracked down so hard.

A view of the school area

The museum is also now a boarding school where at-risk children from rural areas, whether landmine victims or just very poor, can come for a good education. The school's funders also provide students who finish the school scholarships to study in any of the Cambodian universities.

The whole story of Ra's soldier days to deminer was very interesting. It shows a path of redemption that is often missing when we talk about the atrocities of war. While he had little choice at 10 years old and even 15 or 16 when he planted the landmines. As an adult, he had a choice, and he chose to make his country a better place and strive to undo the damage he caused, both as a deminer and as a philantropist caring for children.

One story in the museum that I think highlights some of the ludicracy of war was of Ra and his uncle.

"I like to tell those who are interested about a little unusual story which occurred during an encounter that I had when I went into battle with the Vietnamese army against the Khmer Rouge.

One day, I was shooting across a field against the enemy when through the sight of my weapon, I saw my uncle who I was ready to shoot. This startled me and in surprise, I lowered my weapon. However, my uncle didn't recognize me and continued to shoot at me from 50 meters away.

I hid in the grass and upon noticing my reluctance to shoot, my friends asked my why my accuracy, which was normally good, was now not good. I told them I had a headache and couldn't shoot straight. I had to shoot back however, so I just shot over my uncle's head until he ran away.

Only many years after the war ended did I tell my uncle what happened that day and we had a big laugh. Now we both live in peace and are happy. Today, my Uncle Raine lives at the Cambodia Landmine Museum and helps me care for my chidlren and his older sister, my aging aunt whom I call mother."

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