 |
Cambodia landmine survivors
April 2008
|
|
 |
Father Chan Kriel, 39 (in white) and his wife, holding their new baby, their eldest son, Soun Path (in pink), younger son and sister-in-law (in red) were injured in the accident. They live in Psa Prum village, Pailin municipality.
Like many other transient workers, Chan Kriel and his family would travel in search of work, sometimes with no choice but to take jobs in dangerous areas.
Mine accidents often happen in poor areas, and it’s the poorest of the poor who risk the most.
Chan Kriel’s family was out cutting bamboo when the eldest son, Soun Path, stepped on a landmine. Five people from the same family were injured after his father ran to help and triggered a second explosion. He lost sight in one eye and mine fragments still cause him constant discomfort and often substantial pain.
A local de-mining agency heard the explosions and rushed the family to a Thai hospital across the border, but treatment was expensive and other villagers pooled their resources to help cover expenses while they recovered. Soun Path will soon be fitted for two prosthetic legs.
After advocacy and support from survivor assistance agencies in the locality they have now built a new house on land provided by local authorities.‘We don’t have to go into the landmine areas any more. We are fixed in one spot; we have a home and livelihood. We don’t need to go into dangerous areas and do risky jobs,’ says Chan Kriel. A micro-loan makes it possible for them to raise pigs and chickens, and grow vegetables to sell at the market.
Photo: Somira Sao/Australian Red Cross
|
|
|
