secret war in lao

From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Lao. More than 580,000 bombing missions, equal to a plane load of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day for nine years. This made Laos the most heavily bombed country in history, equaling the total amount of bombs dropped by both sides in World War II.

The bombings were part of the U.S. Secret War to support the Royal Lao Government against the Pathet Lao and to interdict traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The bombings destroyed many villages and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lao civilians during the nine year period.

The legacy of this once secret war continues. Millions of the small cluster bombs are strewn across the country, threatening the lives of its people. These remaining bombs kill or injure people to this day, with many children being among the victims. With a poor economy and little hope of employment, people actually search for these bombs for scrap metal.

help is needed

Cluster munitions are the small explosive devices released from cluster bombs. Although they are designed to explode on impact, cluster munitions have a significant failure rate (estimated at 30% in Laos during the Vietnam War). They are usually the size of an orange or soup can and can stay buried in the ground indefinitely. Cluster munitions continue to kill villagers and prevent the redevelopment of bombed land. Over the past four decades, fewer than one million of the estimated 80 million cluster munitions that failed to detonate have been cleared. It’s estimated that it will take 200 years to clear the countryside.

Programs set up in Laos to clear unexploded ordinance left over from heavy U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War are being hindered by shortfalls of funds from foreign donors. For direct donations: https://www.uxolao.org/donation-2/

For Champasak Province donations, contact Mr. Chanthy Pkoumya, Provincial Coordinator. Address: Ban Sok Am Naow District, Pakse, Lao. Tel: 031 213415

Website: http://www.uxolao.org