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Badass of the Week: Lone Cambodian Hero Takes on More Than One Million Landmines

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posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 12:03 AM
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Aki Ra is a real hero of Cambodia and a true badass - not because of his service rocking faces on a military level, as so many others on this website demonstrate – but because he has dedicated his life to single-handedly neutralizing Cambodia's once-crippling landmine problem. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he seems to have found the most badass way of accomplishing the feat, either.

When he's not running a successful non-governmental organization, curating the museum, or flexing his pulsating iron ballsack, Aki Ra also takes in homeless, (often-times drug-addicted) local kids who have had appendages blown off by land mines and provides them with adequate food, shelter, and education. Aki provides for his twenty-plus "children" by going out into the jungles and hunting wild boars with a crossbow. I wish I was making this stuff up.



www.badassoftheweek.com...


Aki Ra's parents were axed to death by Pol Pot (cost effective - saves bullets)

Aki was conscripted as a child soldier at the age of five and set to work installing booby-traps along the Cambodian-Thailand border

He did this with a gun jammed in his back for approx. ten years

Then, he was conscripted into the Vietnamese army for a further ten years



After spending a forced 20 years as a mine-layer for various armies, he returned to Cambodia where he began undoing all of it, using nothing more than a shovel and stick

Aki can defuse a landmine in two minutes. It takes United Nations bomb teams one or two hours

He believes he's single-handedly defused over 50,000 land-mines and has trained up to 1,000 people to do the same thing

Awesome article about a truly awesome guy


To see full article and photos:

www.badassoftheweek.com...



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 12:10 AM
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Link to video of Aki Ra in action:

www.youtube.com...


Wikipedia link to Aki Ra:

en.wikipedia.org...


New Zealand Herald article about Aki Ra:

www.nzherald.co.nz...


Lots of reading at the links about this inspirational guy

who doesn't waste time on words but instead just gets stuck into it



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 12:34 AM
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Probably the most incredible and inspiring story I've ever read.

Thanks for posting.


Landmines should be illegal, and there is no need for them. USA refuses to set an example and sign agreements to never use them.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 01:58 AM
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reply to post by seattletruth
 


Thanks, Seattle


He makes you ask, 'Why not' ? doesn't he ?

He makes you wonder what you personally are capable of and makes you want to find out

He's no ten foot tall movie star. Just an average guy showing what average guys can do if they give it a try



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 02:01 AM
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USA refuses to set an example and sign agreements to never use them.


The US does not use landmines but will not sign because the agreement includes claymore mines that are not true landmines as they are command detonated and not trip detonated.
Claymores are a good defence against suicide attacks.

Terrorist will not abide by this agreement ether they use IED mines in violation of this same agreement.

Other veterans will back that up on claymores.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 03:04 AM
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reply to post by ANNED
 


Ahh, I didn't know that. I agree claymores are a different matter.

That makes me think the legislative process is rigged to make the talks fail...

They should have new legislation simply to ban production or use of pressure activated mines. There's no reason why any country shouldn't sign onto that.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 10:57 AM
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I read most of the article, and I have to say, that man has brass buttons!!!! It's people like him that give me slight hope for humanity....



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 11:30 AM
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Quit Palin insanity...

Aki Ra for presidency!



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 11:42 AM
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reply to post by ANNED
 


Claymore mines can have a trigger system.

Snipers, or advanced recon units use them to guard their backs, putting wires across their perimeter. If an undetected enemy comes by, the advantage of the claymores (directional blast) will show, taking out the attacking enemy.



---

edit to add:


Btw, there is a reason why UN (and everyone else) takes a lot of time (not 2 hours everytime) to disarm this things.

It's called safety.

There are anti-disarm mechanisms in mine. Some have two triggers (one for pressure, other in case the mine is lifted).

If this guy knows where the mines are and how they are, good. Better.

But not everyone is that lucky, and mostly not everyone is taking off the mines that they planted them-selfs.

And for every mine, there is the risk of losing a piece of your body or your life.


Yeah, this guys work is great.

But don't fall in the mistake of putting down the UN and volunteers work who RISK THEIR OWN LIFE DAILY.

[edit on 13/2/10 by Tifozi]



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 12:12 PM
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Probably the most dangerous job in the world?

A person like that can only be filled with Love and Compassion



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 12:15 PM
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While we're on the subject, why should we adhere to the Geneva convention when our aggressors, obviously, don't.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 12:39 PM
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Originally posted by TokiTheGreat
While we're on the subject, why should we adhere to the Geneva convention when our aggressors, obviously, don't.

So you are saying that you are not better than them? Seriously.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 01:35 PM
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reply to post by drakus
 


No, I'm saying that if you're not gonna fight fair, neither am I.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 01:54 PM
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Gold plated tungsten nuts.
Fifty thousand with nary an injury.
He needs advise?Nah.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 01:56 PM
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Originally posted by Dock9
reply to post by seattletruth
 


He makes you wonder what you personally are capable of and makes you want to find out

He's no ten foot tall movie star. Just an average guy showing what average guys can do if they give it a try


100%!!! This guy is, in my not so humble opinion, the embodiment of true, unmandated, civic responsibility. And he does it with a crossbow, almost as good as the Duke boys...but he dosn't have a hot rod.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 01:57 PM
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reply to post by Dock9
 
he's not an average guy



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 02:14 PM
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i read the whole article and all i can realy say is,i bow to this man.
the world needs a lot more people like him...

great thread
star and flag



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 02:25 PM
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reply to post by ANNED
 


Claymore mines can be both command detonated as well as trip wire detonated.



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 02:27 PM
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reply to post by TokiTheGreat
 

Our aggressors? Who are they supposed to be anyway? Few hundred yrs ago it was England; couple hundred it was Spain, also our own countrymen (Civil War), then in the 1940's it was perhaps Japan and maybe Germany tho they never openly attacked us on our turf.
No aggressors since then.
We are the aggressors. If we are on another country's soil in war, that other country is clearly not the aggressor.
If another country was invading us, you'd protect yourself by any means neccessary and you'd be saying "Geneva convention be damned".



posted on Feb, 13 2010 @ 02:32 PM
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reply to post by primus2012
 


Thats pretty much what I am already saying. Geneva convention be damned. It's a worthless document that next to no one adheres to anyways.




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