Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LANDMINES: CAMBODIA'S UNDERGROUND WAR
Cambodia is a country scarred by years of conflict, and some of the deepest scars lie just inches be-
neath the surface. The legacy of landmines in Cambodia is one of the worst anywhere in the world,
with an estimated four to six million dotted about the countryside. Although the conflict ended more
than a decade ago, Cambodia's civil war is still claiming new victims: civilians who have stepped on a
mine or been injured by unexploded ordnance (UXO), also known as explosive remnants of war
(ERW).
The first massive use of mines came in the mid-1980s, when Vietnamese forces (using forced local
labour) constructed a 700km-long minefield along the entire Cambodian-Thai border. After the Viet-
namese withdrawal, more mines were laid by the Cambodian government to prevent towns, villages,
military positions, bridges, border crossings and supply routes from being overrun, and by Khmer
Rouge forces to protect areas they still held. Lots more government mines were laid in the mid-1990s
in offensives against Khmer Rouge positions around Anlong Veng and Pailin.
Today, Cambodia has one of the world's worst landmine problems and the highest number of am-
putees per capita of any country, more than 40,000 Cambodians have lost limbs due to mines and oth-
er military explosives. Despite extensive mine-risk education (MRE) campaigns, an average of about
15 Cambodians are injured or killed every month. This is a vast improvement on the mid-1990s, when
the monthly figure was more like 300, but it's still wartime carnage in a country officially at peace.
To make matters more complicated, areas that seem safe in the dry season can become dangerous in
the wet season as the earth softens. It's not uncommon for Cambodian farmers to settle on land during
the dry season, only to have their dreams of a new life shattered a few months later when a family
member has a leg blown off.
Several groups are working furiously to clear the country of mines - one reason the mine-casualty
rate has dropped (other reasons include increased awareness and improved roads). When travelling in
more remote parts of the northwest you're likely to see demining teams run by the
Cambodian Mine
Action Authority
(CMAA;
www.cmaa.gov.kh
)
, the
HALO Trust
(
www.halotrust.org
)
and the
Mines
Advisory Group
(MAG;
www.maginternational.org
)
in action.
Some sage advice about mines:
»
In remote areas, never leave well-trodden paths.
»
Never touch anything that looks remotely like a mine or munitions.
»
If you find yourself accidentally in a mined area, retrace your steps only if you can clearly see your
footprints. If not, stay where you are and call for help - as advisory groups put it, 'better to spend a
day stuck in a minefield than a lifetime as an amputee'.
»
If someone is injured in a minefield, do
not
rush in to assist even if they are crying out for help -
find someone who knows how to safely enter a mined area.
»
Do not leave the roadside in remote areas, even for the call of nature. Your limbs are more important
than your modesty.
In 1997 more than 100 countries signed a treaty banning the production, stockpiling, sale and use of
landmines under any circumstances. However, the world's major producers refused to sign, including
China, Russia and the USA. Cambodia was a signatory to the treaty, but mine clearance in Cambodia
