Siem Reap, Cambodia – On a dirt road to approximately one hour by Siem Reap car in the northwest of Cambodia there is an impromptu camp that flies the US flag.
The emblem is also seen in the uniforms of those who work there caressing land mines, and Bill Morse, founder of Cambodia, is used with pride.
“People know that the United States cleans terrestrial mines here,” Morse told CBS News. “… between 15 and 30 seconds are needed to bury a land mine. You can see how long it has been identifying a terrestrial mine.”
The demining by self -help is one of the eight of these organizations that operate in Cambodia, one of the largest nations in the world.
“We have people who did that job,” said Morse. “These people are putting their lives on the line every day to clean what we love behind.”
Millions of mines, cluster pumps and unleashed artillery Still The Cambodian field, a direct result of Decades of conflict Mood of the Vietnam War, which ended 50 years ago this week.
The bombings of the United States in the 1960s and 1970s extended to neighboring Cambodia, destabilizing the country. This helped lead to Rise de la Roja Jemer and then a brutal civil war.
Cambodia hoped to be free of mines at the end of 2025, but that plan is now an illusion. There are almost 700 square miles of known mines still to clear, and new areas that are constantly discovered.
In one case, Morse’s team, under a forest canopy, discovered an anti -tank mine made by Chinese. The team detonated him using TNT.
While thousands have died of the mines, they have also mutilated, including 37 -year -old.
When he was a child playing in the fields, he picked up what he thought it was a toy and took his right arm and blinded him in his left eye.
Then, about three years ago, I was helping in a mines cleaning operation when another mine exploded. The impact of the explosion burned his face.
“Everyone else died,” Poy News told CBS about the second explosion. “Twice, and I’m still alive. It’s a blessing.”
Anna Coren
