Oddar Meanchey is a province in the remote north west of Cambodia, bordering Thailand. Mrs Bot’s family have lived here for generations. They own a farm which is currently home to Mrs Bot, her husband and three grandchildren, Rachana, Sopit and Veasna. The oldest is 12, the youngest just four. The children’s parents spend most of the year in Thailand, working hard to send money home to support the family.
The farm covers a large area and could support their needs but the majority of the land has not been safe to use. From 1985-1989 the Khmer Rouge laid mines across the whole village, including the Bot's farm, to stop PRK troops from re-taking the countryside during the struggle for control of Cambodia's government. The presence of landmines meant the family were limited to cultivating a small area of sloping land which made irrigating the rice paddies almost impossible.
Between October 2021 and February this year, HALO worked to make the land safe, discovering two anti-personnel mines in the process—capable of causing devastating injuries.
Now the land is cleared, life on the farm has improved dramatically. The Bot family have already begun preparing new rice paddies, which will sit on the easy to irrigate flatlands.
A more secure income also means the family may finally be able to reunite permanently.
