TRAINING FOR THE K5 BELT
Cambodia is still one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. Over 64,000 landmine and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) casualties have been recorded in Cambodia since 1979. With over 25,000 amputees Cambodia has the highest ratio of mine amputees per capita in the world.
A recent Baseline Survey of 12 districts revealed that 1,914,818 m2 of land surface is contaminated by landmines and ERW. In addition, at least 26 million explosive submunitions were dropped on Cambodia during the Vietnam War, mostly in Eastern and North-Eastern areas bordering the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Vietnam. The bombing is estimated to have left between 1.9 million and 5.8 million cluster munitions remnants.
Belgian NGO Apopo, who have been training African giant poached rats in Tanzania, Angolo and Mozambique to detect explosives and tuberculosis, invited me to document their training process as 3 mine detection rat (MDR) handlers drafted from Africa, taught a CMAC demining platoon how to locate landmines and UXO using African giant poached rats. After 6 months training the platoon will be fully operational and demining with the MDR's on one of the most densely mined swathes of land on earth.
Mao Sophea 25 has been working as a deminer in Cambodia with the Cambodia Mine Action Centre (CMAC) for the last 5 years, she will soon be a fully operation Mine Detection Rat (MDR) handler and relocated to one of cambodia's most heavily mined Northwestern districts in Oddar Meanchey Province, close to the infamous “K5 belt”. CMAC demining unit 4 headquarters, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. / All rights reserved © George Nickels.
Sean Veana 40 has been a deminer with the Cambodian Mine Action Centre for the past 20 years. When I questioned him regarding his experiences as a mine technician, he told me of 2 colleagues who had recently been injured, one in Kampong Thom Province had lost both his arms, the other man had been left blind when a mine exploded shattering the visor on his protective helmet. Both men received $2000 compensation. CMAC demining unit 4 headquarters, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. / All rights reserved © George Nickels.