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Cambodia Diary
8-14 March, 2004
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Hello! My name is Thien Sambeum and I was born in 1973. I originally come from Kou village, Kok Mon commune in the Banteay Ampil district of Otdar Meanchey province. People in my village tend to earn the living by farming, and as there has been a drought, crop production this year has been low. For that reason, my-self and my fellow villagers are running out of food and seeking for alternatives in the nearby forest.
I am the sixth child in a family of 4 boys and 3 girls. I left school at 15 years- old as a result of family financial matters and became a farmer. Now, as a married man with a son and a daughter to look after, my wife and I are pleased that I am earning a living as a deminer for The HALO Trust. Moreover, not to mention the positive boost in my life, which has allowed me to send my children to school and construct a house for my family, I feel proud to be part of a humanitarian organization helping Cambodia become a better and safer place for the poor to live.
I visit home in Kou village once a month. Since the Khmer New Year is coming soon which will fall on my standing- down period, I plan to take my wife and children out to see Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap, where we haven’t been before.
This week, I have been working in Kdeb Thma Road 4 minefield, a part of K5 mine belt close to Khmer- Thai border. My Field Officer is Mr. Pin Bun Chhouy and the Section Commander is Mr. Chheuy Soeun. Both of them work hard at all times to ensure that the deminers follow SOPs and safety is guaranteed. I started my work with HALO since 1997 and have found 16 anti-personnel mines: 7 PMN, 3 PMN2, 3 PMD6 and 3 MD82B, and this week I found a 72 A- anti- personnel mine.
Please, accept my high respect and profound thanks for your great contribution in funding the HALO Trust for the sake of the poor Cambodians suffering from the threat of mines, and may you all be blessed with happiness and prosperity on the occasion of the Khmer New Year and for the year long.
Best regards,
Thien Sambeum
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