Walking the streets and alleys of Phnom Penh, locals chatting over coffee are never far from worrying about what is happening across the border. Senior demining official Ly Thuch recently headed to Vientiane, Laos, where he caught the attention of the International Committee of the Red Cross Vice President on the sidelines of a meeting. He made a direct appeal, asking the Red Cross to lend a hand and help local villagers clean up the mess left behind by last year border clashes.
According to local media reports, last year border fighting really put people through the wringer. The Thai military used cluster munitions during the conflict, leaving several border areas littered with dangerous unexploded ordnance. Farmers and travelers still go about their days walking on eggshells, and to this day, some 20,000 people remain displaced, unable to return home and forced to drift elsewhere. Just as the old war unexploded mines were not yet fully cleared, a whole new pile of bombs has been added, making life exceptionally tough.
At the meeting, Ly Thuch didn't mince words, saying Cambodians never expected to be hit by cluster munitions, and this new round of contamination has left a massive footprint of polluted land. At the same time, he thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for its past help in bringing home detained Cambodian soldiers. Down at the corner teahouse, old-timers shaking their heads over these updates just wish for lasting peace at the border, hoping these deadly scraps of metal will stop making life miserable for ordinary families trying to get by.
