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Cambodia Diary
5 - 11 July, 2003
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The war caused my parents to flee Cambodia and I was born, the oldest son of four, in Kao I Dang camp in Thailand. The camp was supported by United Nation Border Relief Operation (UNBRO) and I lived there for 12 years. We repatriated to Cambodia in 1992 and returned to my father's homeland at Phnom Touch village, Pongro commune, Rolear Bi-ear district of Kompong Chhnang province. Those 18 yrs or older were supported by UNHCR, were given $50 and some got a house plot and building materials. My family received a plot and agricultural land where we stayed for five months. However, the crop production was poor and the school over 10 km away. Therefore my parents decided to move to my mother's homeland in Prey Brous village, Toek Thla commune, Prey Noub district, Preah Sihanok Vile. Here we fished in the sea.
I continued grade 9 at primary level and passed the diploma when I was 15 years old. After that time, I became a monk in Tropeang R'Pov pagoda and studied Buddhist terms and Pali for five years. I took grade 2 at Samdach Chhea Sim Buddhist high school in Takeo province. However it was hard to continue as increasing levels of students meant there was a lack of food and money for buying educational material. I returned to be an ordinary man in 2000.
My father was trying to find his brother from whom he was separated during the Pol Pot regime. He heard that he was alive in Leam, Kam Reang district. As my living conditions at home were difficult I moved to live with my uncle in Kam Reang. Here we planted maize and beans but we didn't have enough land to be able to afford seeds and ploughing costs. When harvest finished we migrated to Thailand to provide manual labour for 60 Bath a day.
After a recruitment process at the district office I got the opportunity to become a Halo deminer. One day later I was a trainee at Kd'ep Thmar Training Centre. Consequently I passed the examination and came to work in Svay Sor village 1 minefield (Kam Reang location). I have found 15 mines since I became a deminer and found 2 last week..
Finally, I would like to thank my team leaders, Halo and especially AAR/TBS for supporting our mineclearance programme in Cambodia. It means that the Cambodia people will have land, free of mines, and will be able to use it for their community development.
South Seila
Deminer
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