How demining transformed the village of Yem Yon

Yem Yon is a farmer from Tbaeng Lich, a village situated on land that had been heavily contaminated by landmines during the Khmer Rouge regime.

An antipersonnel mine found in a field

Yem Yon comes from the village of Tbaeng Lich in the Siem Reap district of northern Cambodia. After intensive US bombing during the Vietnam War (concentrated in the northeastern region of Cambodia along its borders with Laos and Vietnam) and the three decades of armed conflict that followed, this region is still living with the threat of massive UXO contamination, including anti-tank mines, anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance such as mortars, according to the Landmine Monitor.

Yem Yon, who has never known war himself, always hoped that his village had been spared. In any case, he had no choice but to continue working in the fields to provide for his family. But one day, while ploughing a new plot of land, the young farmer came across a suspicious metal object.

He remembers running to his grandfather to ask if it could be an anti-personnel mine. His grandfather, a former soldier in the Cambodian army who had fought against the Khmer Rouge, confirmed that it was indeed a landmine.  

Yem Yon and other farmers in the village quickly spread the news throughout the community. The authorities were also alerted by villagers who no longer wanted to contend with the threat of explosive devices.

However, due to the geography of the area, regular flooding and the large area of contaminated land, his village and the neighbouring villages had to wait until this year to benefit from demining operations. At the beginning of 2024, the task of decontaminating the area was finally entrusted to the CHSD.

In 4 months, the zone was decontaminated and declared safe

Supported by HI, the Cambodian Self-Help Demining (CSHD) team played a decisive role in combating the threat. In collaboration with various local authorities, its teams began demining operations and, in April, the area was declared safe. Between January and April 2024, with the help of HI, the CSHD cleared 14 hectares of land around the village of Yem Yon, and 3,199 people from the surrounding areas benefited from the clearance operation during this period.

New hope for the village

Since then, 10 families, including Yem Yon’s, have been given the green light to start cultivating their land again.

“I'm so happy. Now people are coming to my village to farm, but also to fish, and we can sell our produce on the roads that surround our fields,” explains Yem Yon, enthusiastically.

Thanks to CSHD's demining work, an entire village has finally returned to “normal” life.

“Even our children can play here in complete safety,” adds Yem Yon.

The successful clearance of the land has not only ensured the safety of the community, but has also opened up new prospects for economic growth.  

“The deforestation to make the land safer has also made it suitable for cultivation. This reassures me because it means I'll be able to increase my yields and provide more for our families.”

This new hope, this huge relief for the communities, is what counts for Chhun Bora, the CSHD's Director of Operations. He has been clearing mines for more than thirty years, but it still makes him happy to meet the villagers at the end of demining operations.

“I see it in their smiles, and sometimes families even invite me into their homes to celebrate this victory over the vestiges of war. It's a source of great pride to me to see that these people will not only be able to live in safety, but will also be able to reclaim their land and their livelihoods.”

Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by unexploded ordnance

With between four and six million items of unexploded ordnance (including anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, unexploded ordnance, abandoned munitions, booby traps, improvised explosive devices and other devices (as defined in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons), Cambodia is considered to be one of the worst affected countries by explosive remnants of war.

In addition to the contamination inherited from the Vietnam War, the Khmer Rouge made extensive use of anti-personnel mines to trap women, men and children trying to escape the dictatorial regime from 1975 to 1979.  

Two million square metres of land is still contaminated, hindering the country's socio-economic development. This contamination is also seriously affecting the safety of civilians and the livelihoods of rural populations by compromising access to productive resources, markets and basic social services. This threat remains a major obstacle to the security and development of Cambodians in almost 20% of the country's villages. Cambodia's national mine action strategy for 2018-2025 is to release all areas known to be contaminated by landmines back to the communities. However, according to the Landmine Monitor, although significant progress has been made, large areas are yet to be cleared and it will be difficult to meet the mine-free deadline of 2025. Continued international support, increased risk awareness and local capacity building are essential to ensure the long-term safety and development of affected communities in Cambodia.

HI’s commitment to a safer future

HI has been working in Cambodia since 1994 and is at the forefront of the fight against these dangers. Through initiatives such as the Cambodian Mine Victim Information System (CMVIS) and partnerships with the Cambodian Mine/ERW Action Centre (CMAC), HI has played a crucial role in building the country's mine clearance and risk management capacity.

HI focuses on highly contaminated areas such as Siem Reap and Kampong Thom as part of its commitment to tackling the continuing threat of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Its efforts are not limited to the clearance of hazardous land; HI is also educating communities about the risks associated with unexploded ordnance.

By removing these deadly remnants of past conflicts, HI is paving the way for a safer and more prosperous future for Cambodian families. Its work is transforming once dangerous landscapes into areas of opportunity, fostering resilience and promoting peace in a country still struggling with the aftermath of war.

HI supports a local NGO called CSHD (Cambodia Self Help Demining). HI's role is to assist CSHD in its mission and to improve the quality of its operations.  The DARM project is working alongside CSHD in the provinces of Siem Reap and Kampong Thom (and in other regions at the request of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority). 2,363,209 square metres of land have been cleared to date and 28 CSHD staff members have been trained in non-technical investigation and technical investigation. Thanks to this project, more than 6,000 people have benefited directly or indirectly from demining operations.