Trainees are new hope for UXO clearance

The clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) could soon move faster, following a special training session taking place in Xieng Khuang province.

The training has been organised by the Sibounheuang Bomb Clearance Co. Ltd., with the support of the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme in Xieng Khuang province. The objective is to train up more people in the detection, clearance and destruction of UXO, which lie in the ground in large numbers after intense aerial bombardment during the Indochina War. The training session began on November 21 and will end this week. A group of 13 people are learning about the basics of First Aid, the dangers of UXO, the use of metal detectors, and field operations .

Company Director Mr So mphan Sibounheuang said he was very proud that Minister to the Government Office Mr Bounheuang Duangphachanh, who is President of the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action Sector in Laos, came to observe a training session on the fourth day of the course. He thanked the government for their continuing support and interest in the company's work.

Even though the training course was short, he hoped it would be a useful contribution to UXO clearance. He explained that the widespread presence of UXO was hindering development in many areas.

Mr Somphan said the trainees would receive a certificate and then go to work in Ta-Oy district, Saravan province, where the company is running a clearance programme for a plantation project. Sibounheuang Bomb Clearance Co., Ltd. is a private company run by Lao nationals and employing Lao technicians, and is based in Paek district, Xieng Khuang province. The company was set up in 2010 and plays an important role in UXO clearance.

By Phoonsab Thevongsa
(Latest Update November 29, 2011)