Lao PDR today remains one of the most heavily cluster munitions and UXO contaminated countries in the world. Up to 25 percent of some 10,000 villages in Lao PDR are affected by the presence of cluster munitions and UXO. Hiding everywhere, UXO can be found in rice paddy fields, school yards, on hillsides, in rivers, along roads and paths, and even in the centres of provincial towns.
During the Indochina conflict from 1964 to 1973, Lao PDR was the site of extensive aerial bombings and concentrated ground battles. The warfare primarily occurred over the eastern side of the country that borders with Vietnam and which hosted part of the main supply route between north and south Vietnam during the war. Throughout this period more than 500,000 bombing missions dropped over two million tons of ordnance on the country, giving Lao PDR the distinction of being the most heavily bombed nation in the world per capita.
In excess of 270 million bombies alone were dropped over Lao PDR during the nine years of conflict. With an average bombie failure rate of 30%, it is estimated that as many as 80 million bombies failed to explode and remained scattered throughout the country at the end of the Indochina war. In addition over 4 million big bombs were dropped and the extensive ground battles in a number of provinces left behind a large number of other UXO, including mortars, artillery shells, landmines and grenades.
For more information visit:
National Regulatory Authority for UXO in Lao PDR
|
