UXO clearance body switches ministries

The National Regulatory Authority (NRA) now falls under the authority of the Ministry to the Government Office in line with prime ministerial decree No. 164.

Mr Bounheuang Duangphachanh shakes hands with Ms Onechanh Thammavong after signing documents on the new status of the National Regulatory Authority.

Minister to the Government Office and President of the National Leading Committee for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation Mr Bounheuang Duangphachanh will now serve as Vice Chairman of the NRA, replacing Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Ms Onechanh Thammavong in that capacity.

The focus of the NRA's work will continue to be the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and accident victim assistance.
“Under the Ministry to the Government Office, we hope the NRA will be able to conduct some activities faster, especially in regards to UXO clearance,” Mr Bounheuang said at a ceremony to announce the changes to organisational structure yesterday.

Of the more than 2 million tonnes of bombs, including 280 million cluster bombs, that were dropped on Laos during the Indochina War from 1964 to 1973, about 30 percent did not detonate. To eradicate poverty and improve standards of living, especially in rural areas, the clearance of UXO is a priority issue.

UXO clearance is slow at present because workers have difficulty differentiating UXO from other metal objects buried in the ground. More than 28,000 hectares of contaminated land have been cleared since 1996.
Mr Bounheuang said NRA staff should not worry about the move from one ministry to another. There will be no changes in personnel and the NRA office will remain in its present location, he noted.
The NRA was established in 2004, in a bid to expedite UXO clearance throughout the country, Ms Onechanh said.

About 35 years after the war, Lao people continue to be severely affected by the post-conflict consequences, especially from the unexploded bombs dropped on Lao territory.

These are spread all over the country and continue to wreak havoc on the lives of rural people.
UXO has become an obstacle to livelihood activities, the country's development and continues to threaten the way of life of people whose lives depend on farming. It also has severe detrimental effects on the government's poverty eradication efforts and attempts to develop the nation, Ms Onechanh said.

Lao people have a strong desire for land that is free from UXO so that they can use the land to make a living, build homes and schools and set up safe places for sports activities.

In 2004 the government approved a National Strategic Plan for the UXO programme for 2003-13, called the Safe Path Forward. Now the NRA is drafting a new strategy plan for the 2013-2020 period.
Ms Onechanh said there are currently 15 UXO clearance agencies operating in Laos, including the Lao National UXO Programme (UXO Lao).

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update October 07 , 2011)