Dangerous Steps: A Landmine Survivor's Story
Story and photograph by Pao Dara Rassmey
Sitting on the doorstep of his small house in the village of Preah Put 46 year-old landmine survivor Sar Sarom, recalls what happened to him three years ago. "I was looking for tree bark that we use for a traditional typhoid medicine when I stepped on a landmine, just a couple of minutes walk from my house. Normally I would walk in the old tracks, but this time I saw some bark off the track that I thought would be suitable. I made my way towards the tree and, a few moments later, stepped on a landmine. It blew off my right leg and severely injured the left one."
Preah Put is located in a heavily mined area in the west of Battambang Province, about five hundred metres from the Thai border. Until 1996 the village was a major battlefield between the Khmer Rouge, Vietnamese and Cambodian troops. Massive landmine laying by all three sides took place, leading to the area being one of the most affected regions in the country. A fact that still has a massive impact on the day-to-day lives of the community as they struggle to make the land their home.
Sar Sarom is married with two children and has lived in the village of Preah Put for almost nine years. They were force to leave their homeland in Svay Reang, in the south east of the country, because of the poverty they faced - even though they knew there were dangers in Preah Put, they felt they didn't have a choice. Sarom started a new life by claiming land for housing and farming when he first arrived. He goes on to say: "There were only a few families using the land for farming when we first arrived here. We were attracted to this area because the land is very fertile."
Like most of the residents, Sarom and his family are dependant on a small plot of farmland near to their house. MAG first worked in the area in 2000, and in early 2006 a Mine Action Team was redeployed to the village to expand the boundaries, which will allow 16 more families to resettle and live on the land. "Seeing MAG back in the village really makes me happy," says Sarom. "My family and I would like to pass on our sincere thanks for all the vital work you have done. Without your support the people here would still be in danger and more would have been maimed or killed."
Since the start of the year the Mine Action Team has found and destroyed more than 100 lethal items.
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