austraLasia #2154

Firearms to furniture. SDB Cambodia's latest venture!

PHNOM PENH: 23rd May 2008 -- The Don Bosco Technical School in Tuol Kork, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, has some interesting furniture for sale, as discovered recently on a visit to the school by a local Cambodian magazine reporter who writes: " As you approach the welding department, the sound of construction can be heard and a white man is bent over a piece of furniture. Val Sutherland, 70, is a seasoned engineer with the Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) Programme. Standing back he seems satisfied with the prototype of what seems to be a wooden garden bench with unusual arms and legs. Only after close examination is it obvious that it is, in part, made from AK-47 automatic rifles".
    The Bench, as the programme which DBTS has initiated is called, is being launched this month for the public, offering a range of avant garde furniture made from decommissioned weapons collected by the Cambodian Government through the late 1990's and early 2000's.
    "I was impressed when I saw this program", says Fr Leo Ochoa, who is the Superior at the school. "It seemed perfect for the country to turn weapons into art".
    The school, which opened in 1991, has 600 students but some 3,000 applicants annually, making selection difficult. They are enrolled in a two year course leading to apprenticeships. After achieving technical skills at the school, students can continue with the National Technical Training Institute in Phnom Penh or another technical institute to gain theoretical knowledge. The best students are offered teaching and training positions at the school itself.
    Forty percent of the school's revenue comes from its commercial services, of which The Bench project is now one. The remaining 60% comes from other sources - the school runs printing services, computer and network repairs, and anything else related to its training programs.
    With regard to the extraordinary peace symbol benches, a spokesperson for the project indicated that it was not easy to get permission to re-use firearms! The metal still has value and of course potentially the items could have been rebuilt. But skeptics were convinced and the project is now a reality.
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Title: australasia 2154
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces THA -CAMBODIA Firearms to furniture
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2018