Oscar 8
US Special Forces suffered a devastating defeat while attacking an NVA base deep inside Laos
- History
The Deadly Legacy of UXO in Laos
Contamination
Laos is ‘contaminated’ by UXO (unexploded ordinance) which kills and maims people and renders land unusable. Laos accounts for more than half of all confirmed cluster sub-munition casualties in the world.
Over 580,000 bombing missions, using at least 186 types of munitions, resulted in more than 270 million cluster ‘bombies’ being dropped on Laos. An estimated 80 million bombies remain live today.
Over 580,000 bombing missions, using at least 186 types of munitions, resulted in more than 270 million cluster ‘bombies’ being dropped on Laos. An estimated 80 million bombies remain live today.
Legacy
Hidden everywhere, UXO can be found in rice fields, school yards, hillsides, rivers, roads and paths, and even in the centres of villages and towns. UXO not only poses a daily threat to human life and safety, but it is also a significant blockage to the socio-economic development of Laos. UXO keeps local people poor and hungry by preventing them from using their land and producing enough food for their families. UXO also denies access to such basic rights and services as education, healthcare, safe water and sanitation, and community and religious events. Schools, hospitals, public toilets, markets and temples cannot be built or visited safely until the land is cleared. In rural Laos, nearly 80 per cent of the population live from subsistence farming so access to safe agricultural land is lifesaving.
Death
UXO continues to kill and seriously injure people in Laos over fifty years after the end of the bombing. Since 1964, there have been at least 50,000 UXO-related casualties – although many remain unreported. Sixty per cent of these have resulted in death. Since the end of the conflict, over 30,000 people have been killed or injured in a UXO accident. In recent years, approximately 40 per cent of victims were children.
Poverty
A quarter of all villages are contaminated. Forty-one out of the poorest 47 districts and one in six rural villages with agricultural land are contaminated. 10 of all 17 provinces are ‘severely contaminated’
Most accidents happen while people are carrying out their daily work and routine. A major cause of accidents is when someone hits a UXO item beneath the soil while digging or hoeing. Another common cause is when fire is set above a UXO item hiding underground. Many other accidents happen when people find an item and they move or throw it away, or when they try to open it to sell the explosives and the scrap metal to traders.
Most accidents happen while people are carrying out their daily work and routine. A major cause of accidents is when someone hits a UXO item beneath the soil while digging or hoeing. Another common cause is when fire is set above a UXO item hiding underground. Many other accidents happen when people find an item and they move or throw it away, or when they try to open it to sell the explosives and the scrap metal to traders.
Fear
Cluster sub-munitions are the same size and shape as a tennis ball. Some sub-munition types are bright yellow. Children may be tempted to play with it or break it open, which in many cases leads to an accident.
While poverty rates are decreasing, over two-thirds of the Lao population still live on less than US$1.25 a day and many more in multidimensional poverty. This means insufficient income, poor health, education, living standards and unsafe working conditions.
UXO also impacts on people’s psychological well-being. According to a 2013 survey, over 90 per cent of people in affected areas fear UXO. The most common worry is that children will be killed or injured whilst they are playing.
While poverty rates are decreasing, over two-thirds of the Lao population still live on less than US$1.25 a day and many more in multidimensional poverty. This means insufficient income, poor health, education, living standards and unsafe working conditions.
UXO also impacts on people’s psychological well-being. According to a 2013 survey, over 90 per cent of people in affected areas fear UXO. The most common worry is that children will be killed or injured whilst they are playing.
By Digby Greenhalgh
Digby Greenhalgh is the founder of Explore Indochina, and a recognized expert on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. All motorcycle tours are designed and guided by Digby.
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