Tag: southeast asia

did-you-kno:

After Cambodian Aki Ra’s parents were
killed by the Khmer Rouge, they made
him a child soldier and forced him to set
up landmines. He later devoted his life to
removing landmines, collecting and
defusing over 50,000 of them with
only a pocket knife, a hoe, a stick,
and his bare hands.

Above photo: Lynn Johnson / National Geographic

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Photo: CNN

Ra spent over 22 years of his life ridding Cambodia of landmines.

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Over the years, he brought home over 2 dozen abandoned child victims to live in his home so he could care for them. 

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He set up the Cambodian Landmine Museum, which is dedicated to telling not only his own story, but the horrific stories of other victims.

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The museum exists to spread the message that the aftermath of war continues long after the shooting stops.

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It also houses a relief center for young landmine victims, as well as orphans and sick children.

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About 29 children currently live in the relief center.

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Photos: Cambodian Landmine Museum

Source  Source 2  Source 3

foxfireflamequeen:

Okay, let me break it down for you.

Indian Subcontinent:

  • Bangladesh
  • India
  • Pakistan

South Asia:

  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • India
  • Maldives
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Afghanistan, Tibet and/or Myanmar may or may not be included depending on extended definitions.

Southeast Asia:

  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Timor-Leste
  • Indonesia
  • Laos
  • Malaysia
  • Myanmar
  • Philipenes
  • Singapore
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam

East Asia:

  • China
  • Japan
  • North Korea
  • South Korea
  • Mongolia
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam (geographically part of Southeast Asia, but culturally part of East Asia), and/or Siberia in Russia (it’s related to East Asian countries) may or may not be included depending on extended definitions.

North Asia:

  • Siberia in Russia (Siberia makes up 77% of Russia’s territory and falls into Asia; geographically speaking, Russia should centralize in Asia instead of Europe)

Central Asia:

  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uzbekistan
  • Iran (may or may not be included depending on extended definitions)

Western Asia:

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Cyprus
  • Georgia
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Syria
  • Turkey
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Yemen
  • Iran (may or may not be included depending on extended definitions)

Iran is in a constant tug of war between Western and Central Asia.

So, to summarize:

  • Bangladesh =/= India =/= Pakistan
  • Bangladesh/Pakistan =/= India
  • India =/= South Asia
  • China =/= Southeast Asia
  • North Korea =/= North Asia
  • Indian subcontinent =/= South Asia
  • South Asia =/= Southeast Asia
  • Southeast Asia =/= East Asia
  • Western Asia =/= Middle East

It’s actually pretty offensive when you dump half these countries into East Asia or just plain India, so please, think before you address the cultures and the countries. Is the culture Indian, or is it South Asian? Is the style Chinese, or is it East Asian?

It takes like two minutes to look these up. It’s not that hard.

(Except Western Asia. That’s a tricky definition because it includes most of the South Caucasus, which very few people take into account when considering Asia, and some of the countries there are difficult to place geographically. Most, but not all, of Western Asia falls into the definition of the Middle East, but the Middle East is not only comprised of Western Asian countries.)

Edit: I’d forgotten to include Central and Western Asia. My apologies.