Former Khmer Rouge Soldier Disarms Landmines By Hand
Aki Ra is a former child soldier. When he was just a toddler, he was forced to serve in Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge. Gimundo reports that Ra was taught to plant deadly land mines at the age of five, and continued doing so until Cambodia was liberated from the Khmer Rouge by the Vietnamese army when he was a teenager. In 2006, Ra told the Common Language Project, “ ‘I remember we would have bags on our backs, we could carry sometimes 50, sometimes 100 mines, and we would throw them behind us. . . . Sometimes the soldiers were so close we couldn’t even bury the mines, we would just put leaves on top and keep going, if we were too slow we would, you know, be shot.’ ” After Cambodia was liberated, Gimundo writes that “thousands of active landmines still littered the ground, killing and maiming hundreds of people every year.” Ra, regretting his actions under the Khmer Rouge, has vowed to spend the rest of his life giving back to Cambodia. He remembers where he buried many of the landmines, and, “armed only with a metal detector, a small pocketknife, and several other small tools,” has spent over 20 years disarming thousands of active landmines by hand.
- Ra had no choice in being conscripted by the Khmer Rouge, and he would have been killed had he refused to engage in guerilla warfare tactics. However, he did have a choice in how he wanted to lead his life once he was liberated. Why do you think Ra has spent the past 20 plus years disarming landmines?
- Is it possible for a perpetrator of criminal acts to also be a victim? Why or why not? How does Ra’s story influence your answer?
- Why do you think Ra constantly puts himself in danger by disarming explosive landmines by hand?
- Ra founded the Cambodia Landmine Museum, which Gimundo describes as “a non-profit group that provides education and resources regarding the country’s landmines . . . [and] serves as Ra’s home, where he cares for more than 20 children who have been injured or disabled by landmines.” On the museum’s website, Ra writes that the museum is “a place of healing for bodies, minds, and hearts. We believe that love, support, and education will help secure a better future for the children who live here.” What is the role of a museum? How is the Cambodia Landmine Museum similar to and different from other museums in your community?
