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Ending Landmines in Cambodia

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight, I'm Liz Waid.

Voice 2

And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3

"My only goal in life is to make my country safe for my people."

Voice 1

These words were spoken by a man named Aki Ra. Aki Ra lives in Cambodia. He has been working hard for many years to solve a big problem in his country. He works to clean up land mines. Today's Spotlight is on Aki Ra's story.

Voice 2

When Aki Ra was a young boy, he fought in a war. He was a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was a group that took power in Cambodia promising peace. Instead they made life much more difficult. They killed many people. The Khmer Rouge killed Aki Ra's parents. He was only five years old. He stayed in his village, under Khmer Rouge control. When he was ten, they forced him to fight. They taught him to lay mines, fire guns and make bombs.

Voice 1

This was a terrible time in Aki Ra's life. The Khmer Rouge did not permit him to go to school. They taught him to be afraid of many things. They used fear to force many children to fight. Aki Ra had to learn to use a gun that was as big as he was. He remembers many other soldiers laughing at him while he tried to shoot. He was too young to do such terrible things. But he did not have a choice.

Voice 2

Aki Ra fought for the Khmer Rouge until he was fourteen. At that time, the Vietnamese army defeated the Khmer Rouge in Aki's village. They told Aki Ra he had to fight in their army instead. He fought with them for three more years. Then he was forced to join the Cambodian army. Finally, when Aki Ra was twenty, the fighting stopped. But, Aki Ra had been a soldier for his whole life. He had been forced into three different armies. He had seen and done many terrible things.

Voice 1

Aki Ra is an adult now. He is no longer a soldier. But he can never forget his past. But he wanted to make up for his past by doing good things for Cambodia. When the fighting stopped, Aki joined the United Nations peace-keeping forces. They were asking the Cambodian people to help clear landmines. That is, they were removing the landmines from the ground, so that the mines cannot hurt people.

Voice 2

During the years of fighting, soldiers laid millions of land mines. These small bombs are buried in the earth. They explode when a person steps on them or drives over them. Landmines killed and injured many people during the fighting. But they still kill and injure many people today. There are millions of landmines all over Cambodia. Sometimes farmers hit them when they are clearing land. Sometimes children take them to see what they are. It is still a very large problem.

Voice 1

Aki did many things for the United Nations peace-keepers. He went to school. He helped clear landmines. He showed victims of the mines how to care for their injuries. He was happy to live a good life with no fighting. But the United Nations could not stay forever. They left Cambodia and Aki was on his own again. But he knew what he needed to do. He wanted to continue clearing mines in Cambodia. He decided to do it for a job. However, there was a problem. When the United Nations peace-keepers left, they took the special tools he needed. So Aki Ra had to make his own tools. Often he just used his hands!

Voice 2

He also started a small museum in his house. Here, he shows people things he finds - the mines and other weapons from the fighting. On his website, Aki explains why the museum is important:

Voice 3

"We live every day with landmines and unexploded bombs. I hope that my museum will help to explain this to people. For us in Cambodia, the war is not over. We still need help to fix this huge problem. I feel that the world does not really know how big this problem is."

Voice 1

Aki is married and has a son. His son's name is Amatak. It is the Khmer word for "forever." Aki also takes care of ten other children. Their parents died because of landmines. He sends his children to school. He also helps many other children from his village go to school. He believes that education is very important. Aki was not able to go to school when he was a child soldier. He wants these children to have a better life. On his website, Aki says,

Voice 3

"We must all do what we can to teach our children. We must make Cambodia a safe country again. This way, Amatak and all children can really live forever."

Voice 2

Over the years, many people have come to see Aki and his museum. Groups from all over the world have come to help him clear landmines.

Voice 1

But, not everyone is happy with what Aki Ra is doing. There are many organizations that work in Cambodia to clear mines. They say Aki is not being safe. He does not have enough training. He does not have the right tools. They want Aki Ra to get training and work with them. Aki did agree to get training. But he wants to work alone. The larger organizations do not always go to the smaller villages and farms. Aki wants to help everyone. Often, people call him and ask him to help with mines on their land. He puts his own life in danger to help others.

Voice 2

Aki talked to a newspaper, the Christian Science Monitor, about his story. He says he still has bad dreams about his past. He is still afraid of some loud noises that remind him of his life as a child soldier. But he is hopeful. He wants his work to help him forget. He told the newspaper,

Voice 3

"When I am finished with land mines in Cambodia, I think I will forget about all the bad things, the war, the landmines. I will farm."

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Sara DeKoster. The producer was Joshua Leo. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can find these programs on our website at http://www.radio.english.net This .program is called "Ending Landmines in Cambodia."

Voice 2

If you have a comment or question about this program, you can email us. Our email address is radio@english.net. You can also find us on Facebook by searching for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!