A Cambodian father’s fight for safe ground
For nearly a decade, Cambodia’s Thma Da Touch valley was defined by conflict.
In the early 1980s, it became a fierce battleground as Khmer Rouge forces clashed with the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) and their Vietnamese allies. Fighting stretched across the valley’s hills and dense jungle, leaving deep scars on the land and the communities who would one day return.
Though the war ended more than 30 years ago, its legacy remains scattered across the valley.
Landmines laid by both sides lay hidden in defensive minefields surrounding former bases and the jungle where nearby community members forage for wild vegetables. For these families living here today, the danger is not distant history. It is part of daily life, shaping where they walk, grow food, and allow their children to play.
A father's risk
Khorn Nuth came to Thma Da commune searching for work and a future for his family. Originally from Kampot, he settled on land in Banteay Thoung Sang, a former military base known to be heavily mined. It was the only land he could afford.
As a former soldier, Khorn knew the history. He knew the risks. But economic necessity left little room for safer choices, so he built his home and began carving out a life in one of the valley’s most dangerous areas.
Raising four children in a minefield meant living with constant vigilance. Khorn created strict boundaries to keep them safe.
"The best I could do for the kids when they were younger was to carve out an area around the house and tell them it was the only place they were allowed to play," he explains.
Determined to reduce the risk, Khorn and his neighbors began locating mines themselves — carefully digging them up and moving them away from homes. It was dangerous work, born of desperation.
At the top of the minefield, yellow and white markers reveal where landmines and explosives are hidden. Just beyond the next hill lies Khorn Nuth’s land.
Reclaiming the land for generations
In 2025, HALO teams arrived to clear the land surrounding the Nuth family home. Before their work even began, Khorn had already uncovered 37 landmines on his property. Demining teams have since found at least nine more, including one less than 100 feet from the back door of his home.
Each mine destroyed represents a life potentially saved. For Khorn, the clearance means more than safety. It means relief and possibility.
As cleared land expands, so do Khorn’s plans. The soil in the valley is fertile, nourished by seasonal rains. What was once too dangerous to farm is now full of promise.
“Removing the mines gives me options,” he says. “The soil here is very fertile, and in the wet season we get a large amount of rain. I’ve already planted some banana trees in the area HALO cleared first."
When clearance is complete, he hopes to grow avocado, jackfruit, and durian, all crops that could sustain his family for generations.
11-year-old Sokphea Nuth has grown up walking through her family's mined land every day while going to school with her elder sister Somphors. When Sokphea grows up, she wants to be a doctor or a teacher.
A future transformed
Khorn’s hopes reach beyond his own lifetime, speaking with pride about his four children and their dreams for the future. His aspirations are heartfelt and universal – the same hopes and desires shared by fathers everywhere.
He expressed his delight that someday his grandchildren will be able to live and play freely on this land. Their inheritance, he hopes, will be a future far removed from the dangers his own children have had to endure.
"You have been with us from the very beginning... Thank you for standing by my family.”
For families across Cambodia’s western border regions, a safe home is still not guaranteed. But in Thma Da Touch valley, change is happening. Our dedicated supporters are returning land marked by war to the people who depend on it.
And families like Khorn’s are passing down something new to the next generation: safety, opportunity, and hope.
