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:
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.
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).
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.
Thank you very much Mr Aki Ra helping to clear the land-mine, this save many life and make a better place for Cambodian to live.
ReplyDeleteThanks
It proves that Cambodians are good but leaders used them for the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteDuch is an example, he could be a hero, if his boss used him to serve instead..
how many people got kill or lost thier legs during the time he planted mine? now he turning around to clear his own mine it doesn't make a hero.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin got blew up into pieces when he was just 13, that was quarter of century ago in Battambang province.
ReplyDeleteCPP vs. trg "tiny rats group"
ReplyDeleteFrom a simple gesture made by Aki Ra whom was once a Khmer Rouge due to his younger age and lacked of life experience, thus he has no choice but to join the Khmer Rouge and has been indoctrinated to by ill minds of the regime leaders and led him to lay all these mines in Cambodia. No one can blame Aki Ra for joining the Khmer Rouge, it was a choice with choices. This has clearly shown that Cambodia was once a dangerous place in a dangerous time that led to the atrocity since Hitler Days against the Jews. But questions remain to be illusive as to whom invented these mines, bombs and other life threatening pieces of destructions, and brought into the gentle land of Cambodia. Cambodia is not a country that has a capacity to invent such destructive objects that can kill. Cambodia is a country that believes in Buddhism, to say that this country is a country of evil and killed all these lives and to blame Cambodia alone is rather ludicrous and insane and that perpetrators are still on the loose. No one dare to look into China, US and Russia which were the countries that have the capacity to invent such objects that can kill, having said that, it leads us to the Trial of Khmer Rouge. The entire regime rest assure on one man and his name is Duch or Kaing Gek Iev. How can one man did all these killings when he was just a prison guard. Who gave the orders to kill? What crimes have these victims done against the state that deserve such torture and suffering and severe punishment that no one had ever seen in history of mankind? Where did the Khmer Rouge get their method of killings from? Who show Khmer Rouge how to kill? What purpose behind these killings? Who will gain from these killings at the end? There are so many questions that must be answered and yet, there is only one man to be convicted at the end. How can one man get 35 years and now reduced to 19 years sentenced be equal to 1.75 millions of lives that this regime has destroyed? Millions of dollars have been spent, many effortless hours have been put into the process, not just in Cambodia, but the across the golbe. There has to be more than a one man show. Why Duch? Why Kaing Gek Iev? Why him and why now? What about Khieu Samphon? What about Noun Chea? What Khieu Khanarith? What about Sihanouk? What about those that we dont know about that are still alive today? At the end...the life of one Khmer do worth nothing, when Angkor was such a great legacy to all who are known as Khmers and live in one of the greatest Empire of its time.
ReplyDeleteThank You. My tears have been shed and my blood has been spilled. Along the way I have lost more than 20 members of my relatives, but above all what is really precious to me, it was time and education to which that I have lost during my younger days.
Cambodia, my country, I will make a vow to you that one day I shall return to lead you before my days are done.
X-MEN
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
ReplyDeletePol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Guek Eav aka Samak Mith Duch
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka
Hun Sen...
Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
"As of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered 10 Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonate bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky. Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground.
Source: Lightning, Discovery Channel
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Vietnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Mr. Ra you are truely a khmer heror.
ReplyDeleteYou save a lot of khmer innocent live by volunterre to do this very risky job. No other people dare risk their live like you. I vote for you and hope you will be select as khmer hero.
Khmer form WA