Aki Ra's Landmine Museum, Siem Reap > Reviews (1)

I have visited Aki Ra's Landmine Museum twice - once in July 2009 and once in September 2010.

Just the fact I have been to it twice should be enough to demonstrate that it is worth a visit!

"'Getting there"'
The museum is a tuk tuk ride out of Siem Reap, approx 35km out of town. I know it sounds like a long way just to spend a couple of hours (max) at a museum, but even the journey itself is worth a trip.

You go through some gorgeous countryside - bright green rice paddies, small communities and villages. Everyone wants to wave at you - and all the kids want to say "hello"! It is truly an eye-opening experience if you come from the Western world, to see how the Khmer people live. A lot of the small communities don't have electricity, lots of people live off their own land, produce and livestock, the sense of community (even as an outsider), is overwhelming.

The return trip if you hire a tuk tuk should cost you no more than US $15. We paid $12. It is about 45 minutes each way to/from the museum, you can spend anything between half an hour - two hours actually at the museum (depending on how much/how quickly you read the information!) and your driver will wait for you.

I strongly recommend travelling by tuk tuk - they're a great way to get around! They're open enough that you get a great view of the landscape and you can shout "hello!" back to the kids. Most drivers now speak a bit of English so can chat to you about the local area.
They all have rain covers that roll down over the back "carriage", so you won't get wet!

"'Aki Ra"'

Aki Ra is the man who set up the Landmine Museum in Siem Reap and all the work they organise. Aki Ra was recruited by the Khmer Rouge regime as a child soldier, at about 9 years old.

Just a little history about the Khmer Rouge regime....
The Khmer Rouge regime was the name given to the Cambodian People's Party in the 70's.
The regime was led by a man named Pol Pot, and it very quickly became genocidal in it's attempts to generate a "classless" society, converting them back to the "old society" of manual labour and living off the land.
As a result, people were forced from cities in to communities to grow/harvest crops. The conditions were horrendous, the society collapsed, money, books, all things associated with intelligence or capitalism were condemned. People were imprisoned, tortured and murdered for things as simple as wearing glasses.
Millions of people were killed, and even today people are killed and maimed by the millions of remaining landmines in the country.

Aki Ra was commuted in the late 1970's as a soldier and was forced to lay hundreds of landmines.
Years later, after Cambodia was liberated from the regime by the Vietnamese, Aki Ra dedicated his time to finding, removing and subsequently deactivating and disposing of the mines.

The museum details the life of Aki Ra, and it really is an emotional journey. His early life was full of horror and pain, and his story is inspiring. Things like him not even knowing how old he is and not knowing his real name are described.

It's an inspiring story, and it is worth visiting the museum simply to hear Aki Ra's story and see his work. He has cleared thousands of square kilometres of landmines, and continues to do so.

"'The Museum"'

The museum tells the story of Aki Ra, his early life and his work. It tells a lot about the work he does, how many landmines he and his helpers have cleared. There are lots of images, newspaper articles and hundreds of different (de-activated!) bombs, mines and other types of weapons. There is lots of information about the regime and the Khmer Rouge.

There is a lot of information about landmines around the world. For example, there are about 15 countries left in the world to ban the use of landmines... Shockingly, the US is one of them.

There is an outside exhibition - a small fenced off area where you can "search" for (de-activated!) landmines. They are "hidden" fairly obviously, when compared with the information inside about how landmines are very well concealed and impossible to spot.

There is a lot of information there, and it is certainly an eye-opening visit. The museum looks a little run down, but in comparison to other parts of the country and other supposed "attractions", it is above average. Some of the pictures/newspaper articles on the wall haven't been well protected and are fading/ripping. The exhibits could all do with a good clean, and the overall appearance is a bit dark and dingy when you compare this museum to any museum in the Western World.
However, I think it is all part of it's charm.
You have to remember that Cambodia is a developing nation, only recently becoming popular for tourism. This museum, although not modern or "fashionable" in terms of museums on a world wide scale, is very informative, enlightening and well worth a visit.

"'But the visit is more than a museum..."'

Aki Ra has not just worked to progress the country by removing landmines. The museum has an orphanage and a school attached to it for youngsters who have been effected by landmines and disease. It is heartbreaking to see the kids there, who are so friendly and smiley, even though they may have lost both parents or be missing a limb.

Aki Ra has done considerable work for the country and victims of the terrible regime, the least we can do is visit the museum just to see his life-changing work and spread the word.
The museum requests a small entry fee (it was $2 when I visited).