Cambodia Landmine Museum

The Cambodia Landmine Museum on the road to Banteay Srei is one of the most sobering and important stops in the Siem Reap area. Founded by former Khmer Rouge child soldier and self-taught deminer Aki Ra, the museum displays a large collection of defused mines, bombs, artillery shells, and other ordnance recovered from Cambodian fields, along with detailed explanations of their origins and the human cost of their legacy. Cambodia remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world — an estimated 4 to 6 million mines were laid during decades of conflict — and deaths and injuries from unexploded ordnance continue to occur every year.

The museum is run as a non-profit and funds both demining activities and the Cambodian Self Help Demining organisation. There is a relief fund attached that provides care for children injured by landmines, many of whom live and study at the museum. The visit is not graphic but it is serious: allow an hour, read the panels carefully, and consider making a donation. Combine with nearby Banteay Srei temple, about 2 kilometres further north.

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The museum was founded by Aki Ra, a man who was conscripted as a child soldier into the Khmer Rouge army at age five, later defected to the Vietnamese army, and eventually spent years clearing mines with a stick and a knife. He estimates he has personally defused more than 50,000 mines; the museum now funds professional demining operations and provides housing, education, and care for children with disabilities caused by landmines.