Mind your step

Please note: This post contains graphic descriptions of land-mine victims.

I have often said that the remnants of the war in Vietnam are very ghost-like, lurking in the background and every now and then jumping out at you in obvious flashes. I think the most horrifying reminder are the victims of land-mines. They are not an uncommon sight, some are older men shuffling along with a limb missing or part of their arm burnt away. There are special bikes/wheelchairs that are worked on a kind of pump-action with the steering wheel that some of the amputees ride around in. There are women with milky white eyes and burnt faces who beg on the side of the street. Probably the most upsetting case that Kim and I saw was in Cambodia. We were at one of the temples and we could see a figure hopping after tourists, and kind of hobbling on one leg with her head on a crooked angle. We went down another path to see the sights and it wasn't until we were on our way out and she approached me directly that I took in the full sight of her. She was probably about 15 or 16 years old. She was very badly burned around her face and scalp, half of the hair on her head was gone and her face was melted and covered in open sores some weeping down her neck. Her left leg was also badly burned and largely useless. She could not properly speak so she grunted at me and I gave her what Cambodian money I had with me which unfortunately wasn't very much. Neither Kim nor I starred at her or disrespected her in any way but I know that the look on my face when I first saw her must have been awful, I feel really badly about that. While we were in Cambodia we noticed that there was a program for Land Mine victims that trained them to play traditional instruments in orchestras that perform for tourists by donation at the temples. There are similar programs in Vietnam based on marble carving, embroidery, textile arts, food service, and more. However the number of disfigured people you see here on the streets is disconcerting.

I am not writing this for shock value. I genuinely hope that if you find yourself in a conversation with anyone extolling the military virtues of land mines you will remember what I have written. Children and civilians are victims here and it seems many of them are farmers. Also please take the time to sign any anti-landmine petitions or attend any rallies you hear about.
Here are two websites you can check out to learn more:
International Campaign to Ban Landmines
and
Stop Landmines.Org