|
Cambodia Diary
1 - 7 September, 2003
|
My name is Soth Seila, I was born in 1973 in Thnaot Chum Village, O’Saray Commune, Tramkok District, Takeo Province. My family since moved to Keo Sovann Village, Banteay Dei Commune, Kandeang District, Pursat Province which is where my I now live. I have one brother, I am married, and my mother is a farmer. My father disappeared during Pol Pot regime.
Because my family were so poor I was forced to live with the monks in a pagoda when I was young. I walked 5 kilometres to school for five years. During annual vacation I worked as a construction worker so that I could save some money and buy a bicycle with support from the monks. I went to school up to the 10th grade; I did not complete high school because I had to stop studying and earn money to look after my elderly mother.
So from 1987 I left home to look for work. I spent a couple months in Poi Pet on the Khmer-Thai border carrying goods across for 10 baht (about US$ 0.25). This was not enough money to buy a house or pay rent so I ended up in a Khmer refugee camp called “Site 8” where it was very difficult to earn money. Then I moved to Pailin and spent a year there getting a little bit better income. Unfortunately, I got malaria and returned home to my mother. From 1993-1997 I was a soldier and I got salary 85,000 Riels. In 1994 I married a girl from the same village and we have one daughter.
On 7th September 2000, The HALO Trust in Siem Reap employed me as a deminer after my brother Soth Lay who worked for HALO became very ill and died. So far I have worked in 16 minefields, finding 20 mines and a number of unexploded ordnance (UXO). When I found the first mine I was surprised and afraid, but HALO Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) has made me feel safe and confident. Today I am working in O’Chambok Village-1 minefield, a remote village where people are living in a mined area. We are all working very hard day to day, under hot sunshine or mud after raining to return safe land to the community so that villagers can live on safe land and the village can expand.
Since I have been working for HALO my life has improved a lot as I could afford a proper house for my family, my wife is also able to make small business by selling things at home. HALO’s work teaches my colleagues and me a lot of skills and experiences and it is good to see different parts of my country.
I really appreciate working for The HALO Trust and its principles. I would like to thank AAR/TBS for supporting mine-clearance to save people’s lives from mine/UXO threat and improve the situation in my country. I hope you will be able to continue funding HALO so that we can make Cambodia free from mines and the debris of war.
Best wishes,
Soth Seila
*NOTE: there are two deminers named Soth Seila in this AAR/TBS section No.93
|
|
|