Nearly 40,000 people in Cambodia have been injured by landmines since 1979 when an estimated 4-6 million unexplored landmines were planted during conflicts. Landmines cost only $3 to produce but $1,000 to clear. In Cambodia, they threaten lives and development by making land unusable for farming, schools, and housing. Several organizations like the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, Mines Advisory Group, and Halo Trust have worked to clear mines, removing over 66 square kilometers between 1993 and 1999. Individuals like Aki Ra, a former child soldier, have also worked to clear mines and help victims.

1. LANDMINES
Global Issue in Cambodia

2. THE CURRENT ISSUE
Nearly 40,000 people in Cambodia
suffered since 1979
Estimated 4-6 million unexplored
landmines in Cambodia. (100 years)
Tens of millions of landmines in the
78 countries (1,100 years)
34-40% of victims are under 15
Cost $3 to produce landmines
$1,000 to clear

3. WHAT IS A LANDMINE?
Land Mines (The History) 6:21mins
https://youtu.be/EPY49ck_0cQ
Which Countries Still Have Active
Landmines?
https://youtu.be/M3n9AngJm3c

4. WHAT IS A LANDMINE?
An explosive buried below ground
surface
Explode when being stepped on
Destroy legs/ kill small child
Half of victim become amputees
Over 35,000 amputees in Cambodia

5. ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES:APL
Designed to kill/ injure people
Explode if being stepped
Designed to injure rather than kill
Caused blindness, burns, destroyed
limbs and wounds
Damage the tracks or wheel of
vehicles

6. ANTI-TANK MINES
Created after the invention of the
tank in WWI
Set off when a tank passes over
Designed to immobilize or
destroy vehicles
Typically larger than APL
Require more pressure

7. Planted in war zones
Laid by hand or seeded from
aircraft
Around village, road, bridges,
river banks, fields, forests
Still dangerous after a long time
CAMBODIA’S LANDMINES

8. CAMBODIA’S LANDMINES
Areas remain mined for years after
conflicts
Threaten lives, prevent economic growth
and development
Land unusable for farming, schools, living
Casualties decreased every year
2001- 813 casualties
2009- 244 casualties (47 killed, 197
injured)
2010- 286 casualties
Map of Mines and Potential UXO Contamination

9. HOW ARE THEY REMOVED?
Deminer
Lies on stomach and probes the ground
with a knife on the side
Plastic-made landmines so a metal
detector does not work
A demining machine for open sandy soil,
deserts
Trained Dogs with good sense of smell

10. HOW ARE THEY REMOVED?
Let’s have a look at how Aki Ra work on mine clearing:
Changemakers Aki Ra Landmine Clearance
http://youtu.be/0VovLo9Gi0Q (6:11 mins)
Clear mine one by one in Cambodia-how to remove
a landmine with Akira Explanation
http://youtu.be/Ptj-4ARQPwU (3:36 mins)
Akira Kills A Landmine
http://youtu.be/N8myBFf0uFg (0:49 mins)

11. AKI RA- THE DEMINER
Orphaned child by the Khmer
Rouge
Child soldier for the KR in 1980s
Began clearing and collecting
mines in 1995
About 50,000 landmines were
cleared by Aki Ra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx4Bz2IZWmg

12. 2010 CNN HERO: AKI RA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx4Bz2IZWmg
6:03 mins
Cambodian CNN Hero

13. LANDMINE MUSEUM
Tell the world horrors of
landmines
Brought wounded and orphaned
children home and raised as his
children

14. LANDMINE MUSEUM: ACTIVITIES
Provide education and training to rural
people on landmine safety
Clearing mines and unexploded
ordnance (UXO)
Training soldiers working in de-mining
and their families
Providing home and school at the
museum for child survivors

15. LANDMINE MUSEUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySaOYiihFz0
Akira’s Landmine Museum
9:34 mins

16. ATTEMPT TO CLEAR MINES
The Cambodia Mine Action and
Victim Assistance Authority
(CMAA)
The Mines Advisory Group
(MAG)
The Halo Trust

17. Apart from Akira himself, there are three main
organizations working to clear landmines in Cambodia:
the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance
Authority (CMAA),
the Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
and the Halo Trust.
Between 1993 and 1999 the three groups cleared
66,027,761 square meters, or 66 square kilometers.
ATTEMPT TO CLEAR MINES

18. Each year they have been clearing faster than the year
before.
In 1999, the three groups combined cleared
11,857,920 square meters,
with CMAC, the government body that also
coordinates all demining,
clearing 9,573,821 square meters (NGO forum
website).
ATTEMPT TO CLEAR MINES

19. SHOULD LANDMINES BE
USED?
Business that profit from selling
them
Military
Maim or kill 10,000 civilians
Physical, psychological,
economic hardship

20. HOW CAN WE HELP?
Encourages countries to support a
treaty banning the use, projection,
stockpiling and transfer of
antipersonal landmines
Treaty signed by

21. LANDMINE RELIEF FUND
http://www.landmine-relief-
fund.com/

22. INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO
BAN LANDMINES
Ban on the use, production, stockpiling,
and transfer of anti personnel landmines
The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty
Clearing mined areas
Helping community

23. ASSIGNMENT
Write a 800 word reflection on this
Cambodia’s lessons that we have
learned. Your journal should include:
A summary of what you learned
Additional research and discussion
on a topic you’ve found interesting.
Due on…..

24. REFERENCES
http://www.uscbl.org/about-uscbl/
http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/
http://www.the-monitor.org/custom/index.php/region_profiles/
profile_image/236
http://www.aboutasiatravel.com/cambodia/map/landmines-ordinance-
map.htm