Bombhunters film

Yesterday Sally, Mum and I went to see a movie at the Meta house called Bombhunters. It’s about villagers in rural areas of Cambodia trying to find scraps of metal in the ground to sell, because they want to provide for their family. They usually find bombs deep in the ground left from the time when the Americans bombed Cambodia. 

During the Vietnam war the Americans and Australians were supporting South Vietnam against the Communist north Vietnamese. The reason they supported the south is because the North Vietnamese were Communist and the Americans and Australians didn’t want the domino theory to start because the feared that if Vietnam became Communist all the other countries would follow. Cambodia which is west of Vietnam wanted to stay right out of the war. The Americans on the other hand figured that the Communist’s might use Cambodia to reach the south through the Ho Chi Minh trail, so America bombed Cambodia. They dropped more bombs in Cambodia and Laos than all the bombs dropped in World War 2.

Once a team of men found a 1.3 meter long UXO ( Unexploded ordinance). It took eight days to separate the bomb into 3 different pieces. At least 7 men were working to take apart the bomb, they only got $21 for all the metal, which they had to share. Each man got $3 each, about 9 cents an hour. These men risk their lives for such little money.                                

The film also showed a group of boys who collected the TNT (bomb powder) from the bomb, and made their own to throw in the river to kill fish. They could get more fish this way than using a net. But, the boy’s bomb blew up when he was holding it. He lost the lower part of his right arm, some of his toes, and his faced was badly scarred. He is 13 years old and is now so worried that he can’t do his school work because he is right handed. 

The film gave me a good understanding of what kids my age are having to do to survive in Cambodia.