Deminer Sets Sights on CNN's Top Hero Award

Aki Ra, the former Khmer Rouge soldier, plans to expand his demining project should he wins CNN's Top Hero Award. (Photo: Courtesy of Cambodia Self-Help Demining Organization)

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Friday, 22 October 2010

“When the war was over, I thought differently and wanted to do good deeds to change the faults of my past and to help the country.”

A former Khmer Rouge soldier who has been nominated for a CNN broadcasting “Top Hero” award says he plans to expand his demining project if he wins.

Aki Ra, who runs the Cambodia Self-Help Demining Organization, told VOA Khmer he hoped to grow his organization to be able to demine the rest of Cambodia and move on to other countries.

Cambodia remains littered with mines and unexploded ordinance left from decades of civil war. Aki Ra, who is 40, has been demining since 1993, without technical guidance or assistance.

He offered advice to those who may mistakenly wander into a mine field: backtrack. “Remember the footprints,” he said. One can walk on logs or rocks to escape the field, as well, he said.

This, he said, taught him the fastest, easiest methods for clearing mine fields.

“When the war was over, I thought differently and wanted to do good deeds to change the faults of my past and to help the country,” he said.

His project now includes 25 staff in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces, but he said now he is short of funding and equipment.

The CNN Heroes award is a contest that highlights community work of activists around the world.

Mine Clearance Activist Earns CNN 'Hero' Honor

An image of Cambodia Self-Help Demining organization website. (Photo: VOA, Khmer)

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, D.C Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Aki Ra, 40, a former child soldier of the Khmer Rouge, established the Cambodia Self-Help Demining organization in 2008, to help people clear their land of the remnants of Cambodia's warring past.

Click here to vote for Aki Ra

A Cambodian demining activist has been chosen as a “Hero” by the international broadcaster CNN, in work that was also recognized by the US State Department.

Aki Ra, 40, a former child soldier of the Khmer Rouge, established the Cambodia Self-Help Demining organization in 2008, to help people clear their land of the remnants of Cambodia's warring past.

In a statement, the State Department said it “saluted” his work and his designation as one of CNN's Heros.

Bill Morse, international project manager for the group, said he was delighted to have recognition from the State Department. The demining organization has helped clear some 160,000 square meters of mines, focusing mainly on the war-troubled northwest, he said.

The State Department provided a $100,000 grant for 2009 and 2010 to help Aki Ra's team, the agency said in a statement. “Since 1993, the US Humanitarian Mine Action Program has invested more than $71 million in humanitarian mine action in Cambodia,” it said.

The Cambodian Mine Action Committee says mine and ordnance casualties fell from 271 to 243 from 2008 to 2009.

Aki Ra: CNN Top 10 Hero - Please vote for Aki Ra

Click here to vote for Aki Ra

Cambodian Hero With Texas A&M Ties CNN’s “Hero Of The Week”

July 30, 2010
Texas A&M News & Information Services

CNN’s “Hero of the Week” is Aki Ra, a Cambodian whose land mine museum has ties to Texas A&M University. Ra is being featured this weekend on the network’s various stations.

Ra and his Self Help Demining organization have cleared about 50,000 mines and unexploded weapons since 1993. The Cambodian Land Mine Museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia, was Aggie-designed and partially funded by members of the Texas A&M student chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students, who held a fun run and a T-shirt sale to raise money for the project.

Footage from a documentary about Ra titled “A Perfect Soldier” premiered Thursday on CNN, CNN International, CNN Breaking News and CNN Espanol. Footage will be shown as part of the CNN Hero story, airing several times Friday and over the weekend, then being re-broadcast later in August.

Scheduled airings (adjusted to Central Time) are:

• Friday (July 30): 1-2 p.m. on CNN, 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight on HLN; and 7 p.m. on CNNI.
• Saturday (July 31): 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on CNN; 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on HLN.
• Re-runs are schedule on Monday (Aug. 2), Tuesday (Aug. 3) and (Aug. 8).

For more details, go to http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/index.html. Future updates as well as behind-the-scenes video updates, pictures, and commentary from the filmmakers will be posted on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Perfect-Soldier/10150094017135644.

Aki Ra’s website for his project is http://www.cambodianselfhelpdemining.org/.

Texas A&M architecture student involvement in the Cambodian project began in fall 2003, when Richard Fitoussi, director of the Cambodian Land Mine Museum Relief Fund (CLMMRF), requested student designs for a new facility to replace the existing museum. Texas A&M architecture design studios participated and the design by students of Julie Rogers, a senior lecturer in architecture who has a special interest in Southeast Asian art and architecture, was chosen for the project. Rogers’ group of students consulted with professional architects on the design.

The museum site was dedicated in April 2007.

Cambodia Rejects CNN, WWF Reports about Mekong Dolphin

2009-06-24
Xinhua

The office of the council of ministers of Cambodian on Wednesday rejected the report from CNN and WWF that Mekong dolphin in Cambodia is facing risk of extinction from pollution and devastating threat from proposed dams.

CNN broadcast worldwide last week about Mekong dolphin quoted the wrong report from WWF (World Wild Fund) on the risk of extinction of Cambodia's Mekong dolphin, said Touch Seang Tana, chairman of Cambodia's Commission for Conservation and Development of the Mekong River Dolphins Eco-tourism Zone.

"They are discrediting the Cambodian government and are looking down my institution," he told reporters in a press conference, adding that WWF want to gain more fund from donors for their project by reporting dolphin in brink of extinction.

He said "Up to now, we have about 150-160 Mekong dolphins in Cambodia in total but the WWF's report said it has 64-76 dolphins. Each year, we gained 10 baby dolphins and since 2003, the population has suffered 91 deaths not 88 like WWF's report."

"The WWF's report did not implement scientific research," he said.

Most dolphins died of fishing net from local fishermen and explosion devices for local people to catch fish. They did not die from pollution, DDT, pesticide or dams, he said.

Meanwhile, he said that Cambodia has fishery law, if people kill dolphin, they will be punished. Local people understand about benefit of dolphin and we have deployed our officials to conserve dolphins, Touch Seang Tana said, adding that local people have never eaten dolphin because the body of dolphin is like female human being.

CNN (report) is destroying the benefit of the poor who live near the tourism area of dolphin shelters in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces of Cambodia, he said. Moreover, its report would also impact the tourism sector of Cambodia and the job opportunity of local people.

"Each year, the dolphin tourism zone absorbed about 20,000 foreign tourists and about 100,000 local tourists," Touch Seang Tana said. "We will invite the experts from WWF to clarify with us. "

At the same time, he said that Cambodia needs electricity to fill the local demand. "But if we build hydropower plants, we will balance the development and conservation of the natural resources like dolphin," he added.

WWF Cambodia country director Seng Teak was not available for making comment and Tep Nasnarith, spokesman of WWF, also could not comment immediately.

"I learned how to make teeny, tiny little origami boats that involved folding new crisp notes many times over."

Story Highlights

• Cassie learns to fold paper money into the shape of a boat for a ceremony
• She was initially confused by the folding of new, clean money into origami
• The boats are mixed with candy and sprinkled over people as a blessing

BATTAMBANG, Cambodia (CNN) -- Cassie Phillips is in Battambang, Cambodia, where she will be working with the NGO Homeland.

"I learned how to make teeny, tiny little origami boats that involved folding new crisp notes many times over."

Homeland is a Cambodian organization that works with local underprivileged children to give them some of the advantages they may have missed out on in their early life.

Cassie will be meeting and helping children from the region who have suffered from a range of afflictions. Keep up with her experiences in her blogs and video diaries.

December 17, 2007

Of the 100 riel notes in circulation, many are old, grimy and beginning to deteriorate. On occasion I'll come across a brand new, crisp white note that greatly contrasts with the usual limp, discolored brown notes I collect in my change purse.

While money is often dirty and gross, the creases, tears, and stains of a bill tell many stories about people and places.

In preparation for a ceremony at the pagoda, I was helping arrange flowers and fold 100 riel notes into little boats. I learned how to make teeny, tiny little origami boats that involved folding new crisp notes many times over. Watch a video of origami with 100 riel notes »

As we were slowly making our way through the stack, I noticed there were many bystanders observing our little operation, perhaps thinking the same thing I was: why are we folding up brand-new money?

At the time I didn't know what was going to happen with the boats, as I felt it was a bit silly to be folding new, clean money into origami when there were people everywhere who were in real need.

Later, I asked someone what happened to the little boats. I was told that during the prayers at the pagodas the monks sprinkle water over the people, and the boats were made to mix with candy for the monks to sprinkle over the people as a blessing.

I was glad to learn the money was given away in the end. And now when I see a note that seems excessively folded and falling apart I have a better idea of how it may have come to be that way.

Pretty in pink

"As a woman, I never feel discouraged from playing sports or going out for drinks on the weekend. This is in large part because I am a foreigner."

Fri October 5, 2007
By Cassie Phillips for CNN

Story Highlights

• The dress code in Cambodia is very different to that which Cassie had expected
• Pink is a popular color with Cambodian men and women tend to cover up
• Men play sports while women refrain, although Cassie plays football

BATTAMBANG, Cambodia (CNN) -- From my table at work, I have a partial view of the courtyard through the window and the double doors to the right. This allows me to gaze out and watch the kids playing during the day when I tire from work.

"As a woman, I never feel discouraged from playing sports or going out for drinks on the weekend. This is in large part because I am a foreigner."

Despite finding the weather to be incredibly hot, I still observe office dress code and wear longer pants and skirts everyday.

In my first week of work I learned all of the kids at Homeland have their own clothes and are responsible for washing them. The kids run around in any assortment of pants, shorts, jeans and T-shirts. One boy in particular always catches my eye when he wears his pink bubble gum colored shirt and soccer shorts. I often find myself envious of his soccer shorts and irritated by his pink shirt.

The type of clothing worn by Khmer sometimes surprises me. Pajamas are commonly worn as daytime apparel, be it silky flowered pink pajamas for boys at play or patterned cotton matching sets for women. Men at work often sport traditional komars (short wraparound skirts) and bare chests.

The more I learn about social customs, I see how gender dictates both the actions and dress of men and women. Generally, women show the least amount of skin while men can show quite a bit without fear of scorn.

Children are free to roam the streets naked until late toddlerhood and beyond in some places.

I've recently learned colors do not have the same meaning as they do in the United States. Nonetheless, pink shirts on men remain the most striking and interesting to me as an American woman living in Cambodia.

As I've come to understand the color pink in the American context, it hasn't been until fairly recently that the color pink was liberated from its gender assigned designation to women.

I understand that a man wearing pink in Cambodia does not carry the same social meaning as it does in the United States. However, every time I see a man in pink, it brings into focus the tension I feel my gender creates as I negotiate the prescribed role of women in Cambodia.

Despite foreign women having a larger degree of acceptable social behaviors, I try to stay attuned to the roles Cambodian women fill. As such, I am acutely aware that I am a woman in Cambodia. This awareness comes from my consciousness of needing to go home when it starts to get dark if I am alone, to finding very few outlets for women to have fun, especially when considering their male counterparts.

I see men playing football or doing other team sports everywhere. However, I have never seen a woman playing. When I ask about it, I'm told, "girls don't play sports because it's too hard to teach them". Nevertheless, when I ask to join in games, men are very responsive and welcoming.

As a woman, I never feel discouraged from playing sports or going out for drinks on the weekend. This is in large part because I am a foreigner. At the same time, I note that local women never partake in these activities.

It seems that Khmer women understand very well that they are to stick to what women always do and not try new things.

Not wanting to believe that women do not feel restricted by these narrow roles, I continue to ask women if they are interested in learning to play sports or try something new over the weekend. It seems the women I meet know that they are to go to school, take care of siblings and stay inside when it gets dark. While some may express some interest in trying something out of the ordinary, they would never act upon it.

To their credit, all of the women I know are very busy all the time. It's as if free time does not exist for many women in Cambodia. However, even when women do have free time, they seem content not exploring new and different social activities.

I do not expect women in Cambodia to behave the same as men, however I'm shocked by their compliance with traditionally determined acceptable social behavior.

Still, I can't help but think if these women had role models or examples of women who dared not to conform they might try new things.

Not wanting to completely cast social order aside, I feel I have the opportunity to communicate a different story about women through my actions. For example, I still want to respect Cambodian culture, but also challenge myself and others to better understand this culture.

Perhaps I will never wear shorts to work, but I might join in a game of football and show how a woman can still be a woman and be athletic. In time, I would like to earn social approval as a woman but also suggest to those around me that women can still be respectable and do something different.

CNN helps grad help Cambodians

9/24/07
By: Sam Choe
The Chronicle (Duke University, North Caroline, USA)

How do you make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged people? To Cassie Phillips, it means to go live with them and work for a change.

Chosen to be part of the CNN initiative "Be the Change," Phillips, Trinity '07, is currently working in Battambang, Cambodia, volunteering with nonprofit organization Homeland to aid downtrodden Cambodian children, including victims of abuse, the sex trade and HIV.

"Be the Change" is a CNN project about a group of volunteers who are trying to help people around the world through social action. The network has equipped six selected volunteers with cameras and laptops.

The subjects' blog and video posts about their experiences helping people around the world are available on the project's Web site. The project went live this month and will last one year.

"I didn't really know much about the program or other participants when I agreed to participate," Phillip wrote in an e-mail from Battambang. "Because it's a new project, I expect it will morph and change as the year goes on."

The goal of "Be the Change" is to inform people what volunteers go through when working in foreign countries.

"It's a project that involves six fairly young people-young, technologically savvy people, who are going off to various projects throughout the world to help out people and communities," David Lindsey, the project's producer, said.

Through the initiative, the volunteers are expected to file blogs and video diaries regularly about how they are adjusting in foreign countries, how their projects are progressing, what kinds of people they are meeting and what they are feeling for one year in their designated areas.

It was the Sanford Institute for Public Policy's Hart Leadership Program that connected Phillips with "Be the Change."

"We started with a long list of organizations that we thought may fit the bill," Lindsey said. "We narrowed it down and narrowed it down, and the Hart Leadership Program became one of the top organizations we were interested in."

During her time at Duke, Phillips was active in the Center for Race Relations as an assistant director for Common Ground and as codirector of the Peer Facilitation Training Program.

A seasoned traveler, Phillips spent a summer studying in Spain and traveled to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. She also volunteered at the Leave a Little Room Foundation in Gulu, Uganda while she was an undergraduate.

Seema Parkash, Trinity '06, the Hart Fellows Program coordinator, wrote in an e-mail that Phillips is a very thoughtful person.

"Her involvement in 'Be the Change' precipitated deep reflection on how to be true to the authenticity of her experiences without violating the privacy of her subjects, even before she left for Cambodia," Parkash said.

She added that Phillips has an ability to be honest, with herself and to others, about her shortcomings and fears.

"Cassie's thoughtfulness and honesty serve her well in her constant striving to learn and grow, particularly when she is outside of her comfort zone," Parkash said.

Phillips said taking part in "Be the Change" has been a new experience for her that made her uncomfortable at times.

"I was not entirely comfortable with the camera myself when I started and I'm still working on that," she said. "So it's been a slow process of trying different things and learning about how the camera affects me and the people I'm with."Her thoughtfulness and honesty have been useful for viewers as well.

"She's experiencing some things she has never experienced before," Lindsey said. "And we can watch her do it."