Thirty-nine-year-old Hun Lysong and his family are originally from Chhouk village, Kampot province, southwest of Cambodia.
They have lived in Phonm Bou since 1998. Hun Lysong was an ex-Khmer Rouge soldier, fighting against Cambodian government and Vietnamese forces near the Khmer / Thai border. He laid and removed mines in the northwest of Cambodia to protect his factional position during the conflict. Later he defected to the government side in 1996 during the reintegration of the Khmer Rouge. Lysong’s story is not unusual – things were different then.
 "landmine survivor")
Soon after, he and his family moved to Phnum 7 village and whilst working on the farm, Lysong felt the fear of his past ricochet through him when he stepped on a landmine, possibly laid by someone like himself, years before. The explosion severed his right leg which was later amputated below the knee. Lysong’s son was injured in the blast and a piece of fragmentation dug into his daughter’s right eye. Lysong said: “We just lay on the ground bleeding. My wife was really frightened and shocked to see us later. I remember she wept bitterly.”
Lysong, after leaving hospital, walked on crutches for nearly three years. He finds his life much harder living as an amputee and he entirely depends on his family. "Before I was the main breadwinner of the family and I could make 10 -12 dollars per day but my family earns about a dollar per day by selling cake at the market,” he said.
MAG’s EOD team has visited Phnom Pruek district, especially Phnum Bou and Phnum 7 villages, several times. The team has destroyed many UXO and mines in the villages but people keep finding more. "I would like to thank MAG for coming to help us. All the villagers are happy with MAG’s work because we are gradually feeling safer. But there is still danger - we need MAG to come back to do more work," said Lysong.
Hun Lysong shows deep regret about laying mines when he was a young Khmer Rouge soldier. He said: “If I hadn't taken part there would have been fewer accidents today. I hate war very much.” His message to the countries still producing mines for warfare is: “Stop producing them because lots of people in Cambodia, mostly the poorest communities, are widows and orphans because of them.”
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