Silent Sentinels, Coward's War

In a post-Khmer Rouge society, Cambodia still continues to fight with the ghosts of war. The dominance of landmines throughout rural villages remains a lingering danger and daily threat to the lives of innocent civilians. This issue has spread to become a widespread crisis, as over one thousand people across the globe are killed each month due to landmines. Even as war in the effected areas is in the past, these poverty-stricken regions remain helpless in a struggle with the "toxic waste of war."

Silent Sentinels, Coward's War features interviews with the civilians who have experienced death and amputation firsthand. These individuals are not the soldiers the weapons are intended to harm; they are mothers, fathers, and children. The film also includes interviews with the contemporary Khmer Rouge soldiers aiming to "liberate" Cambodia, as they continue to employ mines in new locations and discuss their combat tactics. Only recently have certain organizations come to the aid of countries facing the issue of landmine removal. These organizations, however, tend to focus mainly on the wealthier countries (such as Kuwait) that can afford to support the process of mine deactivation.

Silent Sentinels, Coward's War is an important, informative film that provides a voice for the thousands of innocent people who have been tormented, displaced, and killed due to landmines. Suitable for students in middle-school and up, and those with an interest in Asian Studies, Conflict and/or War, Politics, Rural, Village & Urban Life, Gender Roles, and History.