Aftermath

A final, belated note about Cambodia. You'd have a difficult time moving around in the country without crossing paths with some persons who've been physically maimed by war. The following is from the web site Mekong.net

• "Unfortunately, one of the most lasting legacies of the conflicts continues to claim new victims daily. Land mines, laid by the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin and Hun Sen regimes, the Vietnamese, the KPNLF, and the Sihanoukists litter the countryside. In most cases, even the soldiers who planted the mines did not record where they were placed. Now, Cambodia has the one of the highest rates of physical disability of any country in the world. While census data for Cambodia is sketchy, it is generally accepted that more than 40,000 Cambodians have suffered amputations as a result of mine injuries since 1979."

Click on the link and check out the rest of the history. It's a singular study in ongoing human suffering.

I add this information as images like these have been difficult to get out of my mind. Cambodia really won me over. Her people were the single biggest reason for that. Even after so much suffering, they live with a love of laughter uncommon in my experience.

Landmines are still manufactured and used widely in conflicts around the world. More often than not, they are placed in an area for some short-term war need, then left only to be stumbled upon years later by someone who had nothing to do with the conflict. If you want to learn more about landmines you can see the web page of The International Campaign to Ban Landmines.