The UXO clearance team removes a large bomb in Kasy district. - VT
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): The Humanitarian UXO Demining team of Army Unit 58 found and destroyed a huge bomb weighing 250 lb or 113kg in Kasy district of Vientiane province last week.
Army Unit 58 said the team worked with relevant sectors to carry out its duties with high responsibility and by focusing on safety. In the past, the team has cleared and destroyed many explosives that were found in Kasy district.
Last week, the team destroyed the 250 lb bomb in Nasou village of Kasy district.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the United Nations, and the National Regulatory Authority for UXO and Mine Action in Laos (NRA) have provided financial support to the team from Army Unit 58 for the successful implementation of its mandate.
Army Unit 58 will continue various activities for removing UXO (unexploded ordnance) under the project to support the establishment of a sustainable UXO sector in Laos during 2022-26.
Unexploded devices are an obstacle to economic and social development, contaminating land that could otherwise be used for agriculture, industry, tourism, education and the construction of infrastructure.
Government authorities have been working with key ministries, other sectors and local authorities to identify priority areas for clearance of UXO, especially land that can be used for development purposes and as residential areas in order to support social and economic development.
UXO clearance is currently underway in many provinces, aiming to free up land for activities that will enhance the well-being and livelihoods of impoverished rural communities.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Laos needs more funding and equipment to remove UXO so that agriculture and development can be expanded.
Unexploded munitions are still scattered across the country and continue to kill innocent civilians, especially children and farmers.
Over the years, thousands of Lao people have been killed or injured, mainly farmers tending their fields and children playing. The wounds, including missing legs or arms, affect people for their lifetime.
During 1964-1973, the US dropped more than two million tonnes of bombs in Laos. About 580,000 secret bombing missions were carried out over the country. A quarter of all villages in Laos are contaminated with UXO, the impact of which is particularly visible in many of the poorest districts.
Although the Indochina War ended more than three decades ago, the bombs have killed and injured about 50,000 people as a result of UXO incidents between 1964 and 2008.
The bombs that remain continue to have a major impact on the safety and livelihood of people in rural areas.
