Landmine E.R.

A 4X4 arrives at the Battambang Emergency War Victims Hospital carrying the first landmine trauma victim of the day: Satya Yorman. Satya, a young teacher, has been grievously injured by a landmine which has blown off his lower left leg. He is immediately taken to the operating theatre, where Dr Tesfaye Feleke operates on him. Unfortunately, he has to amputate Satya's leg above the knee due to the intensity of the tissue damage. Dr Feleke and the medical staff at the Emergency Surgical Centre see between five to ten patients like Satya from the mine explosions every month. His initial mindset after his second operation reflects the magnitude of landmine trauma. "When it first happened I didn’t want to live. Everybody needs two legs", he says. "After, I asked someone to shoot me dead”. Satya's father is also equally concerned about his future: “I’m worried for his future ... Because I am poor, we have a hard life, and now my son is injured.” This documentary is at once a heart-warming story of one man’s determination to lead a productive life, and a testament to the horrifying short and long-term effects of unexploded landmines.