After the horrific years under the Pol Pot regime, Cambodia was no longer at war, but huge swathes of the country were (and still are) covered in landmines.

Cambodia Landmine Museum est. by Aki Ra. Siem Reap, Cambodia

During peace time, landmines continue to kill. They kill  farmers trying to work the fields, they kill children who see something shiny in the grass. They maim, wound, and cripple indiscriminately.

Aki Ra,  was forced to spend his childhood in the jungle with an AK-47. After the war he  began to disarm mines by himself, using his bare feet and a stick to discover them, and then a screwdriver to render them safe. Years later he set up a museum to show others some of the items he had found.

Cambodia Landmine Museum est. by Aki Ra. Siem Reap, Cambodia

If you’d like to learn more or make a donation visit the website Cambodia Landmine Museum.

Cambodia Landmine Museum est. by Aki Ra. Siem Reap, Cambodia

I met several Cambodians who’d lost limbs to landmines, some during war, some during peacetime. Any country that has produced landmines (or even worse continues to manufacture them) needs to deal with the long term consequences of their actions.

Guide at Kbal Spean with landmine injury resulting in loss of hand.   Cambodia