Bill Morse of Palm Springs has joined with well-known ex-Cambodian child soldier Aki Ra on his campaign to rid Cambodia of the deadly landmines that pock the country's beautiful landscape. (Omar Ornelas The Desert Sun)
The scene is bucolic. Swollen clouds hang in a technicolor blue sky. Schoolchildren, on break for lunch, ride their bikes in the distance. A cow grazes on lush grass next to a dirt road.
Only when you notice the objects lining the path do things seem slightly askew.
Bombs.
They stand on end, ushering visitors into The Cambodian Landmine Museum and Relief Center.
It's a modest $2 to enter the facility, and the paper ticket reassures visitors, “Everything on display has been inspected 100 percent free from explosives.”
The displays are horrific. The centerpiece of the structure is a glass gazebo stacked with thousands of landmines in all shapes and sizes. Every room opens another chapter in the bloody genocide that stole more than 20 percent of the country's population between 1970 and 1979.
Even more horrific is the number of explosives that remain active in Cambodia. Though it's impossible to know exactly how many landmines still pepper the jungles and fields, estimates range from 6 to 10 million.
These weapons kill and maim thousands of children, farmers and other civilians every year.
That's why Palm Springs resident Bill Morse volunteered to help.
Clearing mines
The museum was established by Aki Ra, a former child soldier for the Khmer Rouge. In the 1980s, he sometimes placed up to 1,000 landmines per day.
He doesn't like to talk about that period, though. Aki Ra is focused on making the future better, not dwelling on the past.
Aki Ra has since devoted his life to making his country safe again. He has now cleared more than 50,000 landmines, an expensive, tedious, dangerous task — and one that he did by hand until six years ago.
That's when Morse entered the picture.
Morse and his wife, Jill, are adventurers by nature. The couple has traveled the globe, leading tours through Africa, China, Thailand, Peru, Israel, Tahiti, New Zealand, even trekking to the base camp at Mount Everest.
When they went to Cambodia, though, they had no idea how much their lives would change.
Read full story >
About landmines
Landmines are controversial because they are indiscriminate weapons, harming soldier and civilian alike. They are the one weapon that continues to kill long after wars are over and enemies have reconciled. Because they remain active for up to 150 years, they also render land unusable for many decades.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines campaigned successfully to prohibit their use, culminating in the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, known informally as the Ottawa Treaty.
As of 2007, a total of 158 nations have agreed to the treaty.
Thirty-seven countries have not agreed to the ban, including China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
Help the effort
What: The Landmine Relief Fund
Why: In Cambodia, about 1 in 250 have lost limbs to landmines. Unable to find work, many victims live in extreme poverty. Countless others have lost their lives.
To donate or get more information: www.landmine-relief-fund.com
About the museum: The Cambodian Landmine Museum is located about 20 miles from Siem Reap, on the way to the famed pink sandstone temple Banteay Srei. To find out more, visit www.cambodialandminemuseum.org.
0 comments:
Post a Comment