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Cambodia Diary
11 - 18 July, 2003
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This is the third week that I have worked in Svay Sar Village 1 minefield. This month the rain has been heavy but it allows myself and my friends in the remote accommodation to sleep well. I wake up at 5.30, cook breakfast and prepare my demining tools for work in the minefield. We parade at 6.00 and the Field Officer talks to deminers for five to ten minutes about the demining Standard Operation Procedures.
My date of birth is the 2nd January 1971 and I was born in Srong Thom village, Phsar Kroam commune, Bakan district, Pursat province. I have four brothers and two sisters and we lived in a small house in this village. My family was very poor but I studied up to grade 8 at Pursat High School. I didn't have enough money to buy books, other materials or a bicycle to ride to school, which was 7-8 km away.
I was a policeman in Phsar Kroam for one year in 1989 but my salary was very low. Cambodia was still fighting and I became a State of Cambodia troop. We operated in Paursat for four years between 1990 and 1994. In the meantime my two older brothers and two older sisters got married leaving my parents alone at home. Therefore I stopped working for State of Cambodia and returned home to live with them. I was a farmer in the village and assisted them in cultivating their crops. For a few years food production was insufficient and I took a job as a motor taxi driver to support my family. However I couldn't make enough money and therefore went with my best friend to work in Snoeng village.
I lived in Snoeng village for a year and fell in love with a girl that lived in the village. We got married in 1996. Her name is Chhoeurn Saroun and we have three children but I really want to have a daughter. Although my motorbike was old I earned money by working very hard and consequently my wife and I moved to live with my an uncle at Khlar Khmom village, Khnorng Phnom commune, Svay Leu district, Siem Reap province. We were labourers planting bananas on the top of the Kolien Mountain for 5000 Riel a day.
One day Halo were recruiting and I was lucky enough to be given a job. I studied at Kdep Thmar Training Centre for 23 days. I tried very hard at the school and passed with the highest score among 36 other deminers. Firstly I deployed to Sre Kvav minefield for a month and then was moved to Norkor Pheas for 4 months Finally I worked in Svay Sar Village 1 minefield. Since starting work for Halo I have found 24 mines and this week I found another.
This job is very good because I help the community by providing safe land for other development projects and by taking mines out of the ground we save peoples' lives. Otherwise, I save money to help my family and my ambition is to buy some agricultural land, build a house and buy a iron buffalo. This will help to upgrade my family's living conditions in the future.
Finally, thank you very much to ZERO Land Mines Campaign/ AAR/TBS supporting us. On behalf of the Cambodian people I wish you all good health and pleasure for your support for our teams in Cambodia. Possibly please come and visit us at any time.
Soam Toum
Deminer
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