landmines

mines, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Landmines are a serious problem in Poipet. The Khmer Rouge saturated the area with both land and tank mines. We visited a village that had not yet been cleared. As we drove down a dirt path, the deminers expressed great concern telling us that we need to watch our weight because it was probable that some tank mines were in the area. As we threw a bag of rice in the back of the truck on our way out, we joked that it only took one extra american and a bag of rice in the truck to equal the weight of a tank. I have to confess being a little uncomfortable wandering round the area, especially when meeting so many people who were missing a leg.