The pictures in the following slide presentation are © 1997 Hans Buhr and cannot be retrieved by any means.
A treachorous road leads to the town of Pailin. Landmines are still
everywhere and during the trip several went off probably triggered by
animals in the woods.
The entrance to the town of Pailin. Very few buildings survived the
long war. The mines were totally destroyed and almost no Pailin
sapphires were available in the gem markets for almost 20 years. One
can see shells and live ammunition left everywhere.
Bulldozers have now invaded the mining areas and are scraping up the
soil to be hauled to a washing area.
The sapphire mines cover a wide area in the valley. This area seems
to be worked out already.
Some locals try their luck in a flooded area on the outskirts of
Pailin.