Landmines in Cambodia

In the latest issue of the Vancouver Straight, Roberta Staley looks at the massive problem Cambodia faces with regards to landmines.

An estimated six million land mines still blight the country, which is roughly the size of England and Wales combined. One of the worst seeded areas is the “K5” belt, a 700-kilometre-long, 500-metre-wide swath along the border of Thailand, contaminated with antitank and antipersonnel mines. According to the Landmine Monitor Report 2005—a summary released annually by a global reporting agency of nongovernmental organizations—there are 3,000 mines per kilometre of frontage.

But as ubiquitous as one-legged soldiers with their hat in their hand may sometimes seem, it’s not a story about beggars. Not by a long shot.

Veal Thom, a village of more than 2,000, was created in 2000 by a group of former enemies. … All of the village men are victims of land mines. They are missing legs and arms. Some are blind.

The existence of Veal Thom is an important and hopeful sign that the country’s land-mine survivors are overcoming poverty, lack of government support, and prejudice to create a new life out of suffering and loss. They are normalizing their lives, not only at the grassroots level like the villagers of Veal Thom but on the world stage, gaining prominence as elite volleyball players with disabilities in international competition.

While rebuilding their personal lives, Cambodia’s land-mine survivors are also contributing to the re-creation of the country’s infrastructure, societal fabric, and national pride. When Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen refers to the volleyball players as the country’s true national heroes, he, perhaps unwittingly, is referring to all land-mine survivors.

The challenge of reintegrating soldiers into peaceful society after decades of conflict is no easy task. Over the years, the government and NGOs have given much effort toward reintegrating soldiers back into society, and Veal Thom and the Cambodian National Volleyball League (Disabled) count as some of their greatest successes.

As the story mentions, it’s a success that reaches far beyond Cambodia’s borders. In the world of disabled sport, Cambodia is considered a global leader, and its volleyball program a successful case study that many in the developing world seek to emulate.

If only the rest of the country could follow suite.

Mine-sniffing rats

Taylor Owen over at Oxblog calls these mine-sniffing rats truly bizarre but wonderfully ingenious. Not too mention frighteningly huge! The BBC even has video footage, but it’s probably not what you think.