Lao PDR

UNDP News

Second International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action marked in the Lao PDR

Lao Govt promises faster UXO clearance
Vientiane Times, Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update April 6 , 2007)

The Lao government has pledged to revamp the system of unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance to accelerate the process in all parts of Laos .

“The Lao government is always pleased to increase cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme and friendly embassies to improve and develop sectors responsible for UXO clearance,” said Deputy Prime Minister, Lieutenant General Duangchay Phichit, yesterday.

Lieutenant General Duangchay, who is also the President of the UXO Clearance Steering Committee, was speaking to a mass gathering at the National Cultural Hall in Vientiane to mark International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The process of UXO clearance in Laos began in 1996 in nine provinces around the country. But even with the support of the UN and friendly countries, UXO demolition has not ensured the safety of local people in affected areas who need land to earn a living, and for construction, according to Lieutenant General Duangchay.

He said that with US$30 million in financial support from the government and donor countries, around 10,133 hectares of contaminated land had been cleared and 754,239 items of ordnance had been dismantled.

About 1.5 million people in 6,055 villages have participated in awareness campaigns.

The UN Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of UNDP, Ms Sonam Yangchen Rana, said that the presence of UXO more than 30 years after the Indochina War ended constituted a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of ordinary people, and was “an impediment to the social and economic development of Laos ”.

From 1964 to 1973, Laos was heavily bombarded with more than 2 million tonnes of explosives, and it is estimated that up to 30 percent of these bombs failed to explode on impact, lying dormant in one third of the total land area of the country.

“These bombs continue to injure and kill people almost every day, preventing children from walking to school and playing safely, and people from doing their day-to-day activities,” she said.

Ms Yangchen Rana said between 200 and 300 people were injured by unexploded devices each year.

“If this problem is not addressed in a timely manner, I am sure that the socio-economic development of Laos will not be possible,” she said.

Ms Yangchen Rana praised the Lao government for accepting the importance of clearance work in reducing the impact of past wars.

The Lao government and the UNDP established the Trust Fund for UXO Clearance in 1995, and since then a number of donors have contributed to the programme, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, the United States, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Australia, Finland, New Zealand , Canada, Japan, Sweden, South Korea and Ireland, and various international organisations.