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February 15, 2007
Cambodian Landmine Museum (Joe)
Just about 10km outside of Siem Reap is the Cambodian Landmine Museum. It is on a dusty track, in the middle of nowhere which means it's not as full of tourists as the more central places. Once you approach the museum it just looks like a set of old barns with scrap metal all over the place. Admission is free but there is a donation boxs, $3 will pay for six landmines to be safely removed from the jungle. We started by looking round at all the photos of the famlilies in the area who had been in contact with mines and unexploded ordinance. A boy about 15 years old asked us if he could show us around.
He started by telling us that there are about 3 to 6 million landmines and ordinance still in the area and about 27,000 victims of landmines around Siem Reap. As we walked round the museum he took us to a compound to explain about all the diffent types of landmines. The first was a round cup about the size of a coca-cola can wich would be hidden in the ground. If someone stood on the mine it would explode and take the leg off or even kill someone. The second was an anti tank mine which would only be activated with as much pressure as say a family car. The boy was told us that the Kamer Rough used to put the first Coke can size one on the floor then an anti tank mine on top so that when the first when off the anti tank mine would react this would kill up to 20 people in the area. The last is a very simple metal spike hidden in the gound so the victim stands on the spike and slowly dies of blood poisoning and infection.
It was intresting but very sad that he could talk the way he did about landmines because he has bee a victim himself. He told us what happed to his leg.
He lived with his family in the north of Cambodia, in the jungle. All the family worked in the rice paddys. They went out as usual one day to the fields and the boy sood on a coke can landmine the boy lost his leg but his two brothers lost their lives. The boys father rushed him home to try save his last son. He was loosing lots of blood. His father took him to hospital but once there he could not aford the pay for his sons operation. He then had to take him back home to the jungle and do the operation himself.
After this happend the boy could not go back to work so he would be left all day at home. One day when the boy was at home he heard a noise out ide but he thought nothing of it. When his father arrived home there was larger tiger trying to get into the house. His father scared the tiger with his gun and from then on he carried his son to the fields with him.
After a few years the boy manged to travel to Siem Reap and got in toch with Aki Ra who at the time was trying to set up the landmine museum. The boy now works at the museum showing people the effects of landmines.
Infomation on the Cambodian Landmine Museum
The Cambodian Landmine Museum was opened in 1999 to promote awareness and education for both tourists and Cambodian people. Landmines will likely be a problem in Cambodia for many years to come. Through awareness, safety and prevention, the museum will strive to protect Cambodian communities from suffering and devastation.
The museum's activities include providing education and training to rural people about landmine safety, cleaning mines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) from various provinces in Cambodia, and training soldiers to deactivate and clear landmines and UXO from the countryside. The museum also provides livelihood support for soldiers working in de-mining and their families. They also provide a home and school at the museum for child survivors of landmines. Through all the activities, they hope to ensure that Cambodia will one day become free of landmines and UXO.
For further info have a look at
www.cambodialandminemuseum.org
Posted by admins at February 15, 2007 6:30 AM
Comments
Joe, I was given your website address by fellow Sitlington Round Table member Kevin Leahy. I found it quite interesting and wondered if you could send me something that I could perhaps put on a Wakefield Express blog ie a regular weekly update about your time in Cambodia and elsewhere in South East Asia. I believe you are one of the youngest Round Table members and you are always jetting off to help people in foreign climes. Contact me on the address above and let me know if you are interested. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours, Nigel Booth.
Posted by: nigel booth at February 20, 2007 4:12 PM