Cambodia is still competing with the deadly threat to landmines, the remains of contracts of conflict

Sim Reeb, Cambodia – On a dirt road, about one hour drive outside Sim Rayb in northwest of Cambodia, there is a temporary camp that flies the American flag.

The logo also shows the costume of those working there to cleanse the ground mines, and it is proudly worn by Bill Morse, the founder of Cambodia Self Demining.

“People know that the United States is clearing the ground mines here,” Morse told CBS News. “… it takes 15 to 30 seconds to bury the ground mines. You can see the time it takes to recognize the landmines.”

Self -assistance in removing it from eight such organizations is working in Cambodia, and it is one of the largest in the world most of the most large countries in the world.

“We have made people do this work,” Morse said. “These people put their lives on the line every day to clean what we left behind.”

Millions of mines, cluster bombs, and unique ammunition Still garbage Cambodian countryside, a direct result of Contracts of conflict The result of the Vietnam War, which ended 50 years ago this week.

The American bombing raids in the 1960s and 1970s were flushed to the neighboring Cambodia, destabilizing the country. This helped lead to The rise of Khmer Rouge Then the brutal civil war.

Cambodia was hoping that she would be free of mines by the end of 2025, but this plan is now a wishful thinking. There are approximately 700 square miles of well -known minefields that have not yet been cleared, and the new areas that are constantly discovered.

In one case, the Morse team, under a forest umbrella, discovered a Chinese anti -tank mine. The team detonated it using TNT.

While thousands of mines died, more, including 37 -year -old Boy was distorted.

When he was a young boy playing in the fields, he picked up what I think was a game and detonated his right arm and baptized in his left eye.

Then, about three years ago, he was helping to shed mines when another mine exploded. The effect of the explosion was burned.

“Everyone died,” Boy told CBS News about the second explosion. “Twice, and I am still alive. It is a blessing.”

Anna Corin

Anna Corin, a foreign CBS News Correspondent in Hong Kong, is an Emmy award -winning international correspondence that covers the Asia Pacific region.