Bulldozer driver nearly blows up village

A Borikhamxay road worker got a nasty surprise while grading a road, when his bulldozer uncovered a 2000 pound bomb concealed beneath the soil.

He inadvertently uncover-ed the bomb just outside the temple in Oudom village, Khamkeuth district, while he was working on the road this week.

Mr Phone said he was driving his bulldozer some time on Tuesday morning, cutting back the roadway so that it could be resurfaced. “It was a very big shock when, as I was digging up the road, I saw this really big bomb. I did not know what to do, so I abandoned the bulldozer and ran away in case the bomb blew up,” he said.

Luckily, some unexploded ordnance (UXO) experts from Solidarity Service International (SODI) were working in the area at the time, and were able to come and investigate before too much time had passed.

The SODI experts identified the bomb as an American made 2000 pound heavy artillery weapon, and said that if it was interrupted or disturbed in any way, it could explode at any time.

Mr Phone told the SODI clearance workers that the blade of his bulldozer hit the bomb two or three times while he was driving up and down before he noticed that it was there.

They told him he was very lucky to be alive. In fact, they told him the 2000 pound bomb was capable of destroying everything within a two kilometre radius, and he could have inadvertently blown up the temple.

The SODI workers lacked the equipment necessary to remove and disarm the bomb at the time, but they wanted to make sure no one was tempted to interfere with the bomb, which would have been worth quite a bit to a scrap metal dealer. They put the bomb back in its underground bunker temporarily by putting 400 sandbags on top of it.

They requested assistance from the Japan Mine Action Service and the Lao National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action Sectors in Laos (NRA), who assign field tasks to UXO Lao to bring in the modern technology required to dispose of bombs safely, and get rid of more of the munitions that have haunted Laos for so long.

It is estimated that out of the 2 million tonnes of bombs, including 288 million cluster bombs, that were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973, about 30 percent did not detonate. During this period, a total of 580,000 deadly bombing missions were conducted. That averages out at one bombing mission every eight minutes around the clock for nine years.

According to the NRA, by 2015, Laos aims to clear 12,500 hectares of contaminated land, of which more than 11,800 hectares will be used for agriculture and the rest for other forms of development. More than 28,000 hectares of UXO-contaminated land have been cleared since 1996. By 2020 the country aims to have cleared UXO from 200,000 hectares of land.

Khamkeuth is a mountainous district that borders with Vietnam, and was heavily bombed because it formed part of the Ho Chi Minh trail. The district is also very poor due to the lack of roads in the area.
Road building is one of the key thrusts of the government's development drive, as it gives villagers access to markets, schools and health services. As the funding becomes available there are likely to be many more road building projects, so it is possible that more such incidents could occur. Mr Phone, meanwhile, might want to buy himself a lottery ticket, because there is every chance the event could have ended in tragedy.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update January 6 , 2012)

Indochina meeting urges UXO clearance to boost development

Attapeu province: Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are set to increase cooperation in landmine clearance in their border areas, to encourage growth in the Development Triangle Zone.

The Security and Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee of the Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Development Triangle Zone yesterday agreed to highlight the importance of UXO clearance for bringing investment and development projects to the area, at the Ministerial Conference on Development of the Triangle Zone.


According to UXO Laos, provinces along the Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese borders were some of the most heavily affected areas during the peak bombing periods of the Indochina War in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s estimated that around 30 percent of the bombs dropped didn’t explode, leaving behind a deadly legacy and a major obstacle to development in the region.

The 7th ministerial conference on developing the 13 Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese border provinces, starting today in Attapeu province, is expected to include discussions on UXO removal.

The meeting will also discuss trade, investment and tourism as well as social, environmental and cultural cooperation in a bid to boost development in an area categorised as one of the poorest in the region.
According to the CLV Security and Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee, another major issue facing the three countries is the need to enhance cooperation in combating drug trafficking, to ensure the peace and security necessary to attract trade and investment.

The Economic Sub-Committee of the Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Development Triangle Zone also met yesterday to discuss measures to boost trade and investment in the border area.

According to the meeting secretariat, participants emphasised the need for the three countries to strengthen cooperation and coordination in promoting trade, investment and tourism.

Meeting participants urged the three governments to speed up the implementation of Japan-funded development projects so they can begin discussions with the Japanese government on bringing new cooperation projects to the area.

In 1999 Japan set up a development fund of US$20 million for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to develop infrastructure in the Development Triangle Zone.

The Socio-Environment Sub-Committee also met yesterday to discuss cultural, education and environmental cooperation. Laos proposed that Champassak University be adopted as the regional educational institute.

The university would offer a curriculum in all three languages of the Zone and would provide the personnel needed to meet the demands of development.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Coordination Sub-Committee wants the three governments to speed up road construction in the Zone and to open more border crossings to facilitate trade, investment and tourism.
The Senior Officials’ Meeting opened under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bounkeuth Sangsomsak and his Cambodian and Vietnamese counterparts to discuss the comments of the sub-committees before submitting the issues for discussion at the ministerial conference today.

Source: Vientiane Times
December 09, 2011

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)

Minister monitors UXO clearance in Xieng Khuang

Thousands of people in Xieng Khuang province are benefiting from the clearance of UXO, but many bombs still remain buried in the ground, the national UXO clearance body has reported.

Minister to the Government Office Mr Bounheuang Duangphachan, who is President of the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for UXO/Mine Action Sector in Laos, last week headed a visit to the province to monitor the progress of UXO clearance.

As part of the trip, Mr Bounheuang attended a meeting to discuss a pilot project for the use of specialised equipment to detect and destroy bombies (cluster bombs) at the Xieng Khuang provincial Administrative Office.

The meeting discussed the objectives and history of the project, use of the equipment, and how to run the project to ensure maximum benefit.

Mr Bounheuang said the widespread presence of UXO has been a barrier to poverty reduction for many decades. Laos now has to shoulder the burden of erasing the deadly legacy of the Indochina War, during which more than 2 million tonnes of ordnance was dropped on the country between 1964 and 1973.

Since liberation was achieved in 1975, the people of Xieng Khuang and other provinces have had to suffer the daily inflictions forced on them by UXO, which remain a deadly threat. Xieng Khuang was one of the most heavily bombed provinces in Laos, which has caused a large number of deaths and injuries, and is a severe barrier to development.

Mr Bounheuang said UXO was hindering socio-economic development in 15 provinces, and 300-400 people were dying in UXO-related accidents each year.

In recent decades, Xieng Khuang has received considerable financial and technical support from international organisations and governments, but so far only 0.28 percent of UXO-contaminated areas have been cleared. The government is trying to source more funding and technical support to accelerate clearance.

President of the Xieng Khuang Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mines Mr Khampian Sinuanthong said "Through this pilot project we hope that clearance will move faster through the use of a vehicle that is specially designed to locate and destroy bombs. This is the first pilot project run by the NRA in conjunction with the Japan Mine Action Service. Funding and technical support from Komatsu worth more than US$100,000 has been provided, with Xieng Khuang selected for the five month project which will start in January.”

Mr Bounheuang and his team also observed the work of the UK-based Mines Advisory Group and the offices of the Xieng Khuang Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mines to see the progress made in UXO clearance. They also observed a training session on bomb clearance hosted by the SBH Bomb Clearance Co., Ltd.

By Phoonsab Thevongsa
(Latest Update November 28, 2011)

US renews aid for UXO survivors

The US government will continue to help Laos to enhance its capacity to provide medical aid to unexploded ordnance (UXO) accident survivors.

The US State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has agreed to renew its commitment to support World Education, an international non-profit organisation working to assist UXO victims in Xekong and Xieng Khuang provinces.

The provinces were some of the most heavily bombed areas in Laos during the Indochina War in the 1960s and 1970s. Although the war ended more than three decades ago, UXO continues to injure and kill innocent people, particularly farmers.

World Education Country Director Mr Mark Gorman and Physi cal Medicine Rehabilitation Centre Director Dr Thongchanh Thepsomphou signed a memorandum of understanding on November 15 in Xekong province to continue a cooperation project to assist UXO accident survivors in the two provinces.

US Ambassador to Laos Ms Karen Stewart and a number of government officials attended the event.
According to a media release from the US Embassy, the main goal of the project is to improve the capacity of the health care system to provide emergency medical care for survivors of UXO accidents.
Through the project, emergency medical care will be improved by initial and follow-up training to support doctors, nurses, lab technicians and village health volunteers. The project will upgrade emergency medical equipment and supplies in hospitals and sub-district health centres and provide emergency supplies and manuals to village health volunteers.

The project will also upgrade hospital systems for revolving drug supplies, record keeping, discharge plans for patients, and follow up support and monitoring for UXO victim patients.

World Education aims to strengthen first aid and emergency response training at hospitals and medical facilities at the provincial, district, sub-district and village levels in Xekong province. It also provides refresher training for emergency response medical staff at province, district and sub-district health centres in Xieng Khuang province as well as improving orthopaedic services for UXO and landmine accident victims.

According to UXO Lao, around 12,000 UXO-related accidents have occurred in the country since 1973. Data gathered by UXO Lao in areas where it operates from 1999 to present show 934 casualties, comprising 655 injuries and 279 deaths.

The data also indicates more than 50 percent of the victim s are children and more than 81 percent are male. Sub-cluster munitions (known locally as bombies) are the most common cause of accidents. Actual UXO accidents nationwide may be more than this as UXO Lao only receives reports of UXO accidents in areas it operates in. 

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update November 24, 2011)

Children protection for UXO risk groups promoted

(KPL) Savannakhet – A training course on “promoting action for child protection: unexploded ordnance risk education for children in Savannakhet province was opened early this month.

The training course is held under the cooperation between the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action Sector in the Lao PDR (NRA), the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Provincial Labour and Social Welfare Division of Savannakhat.


It is designed to leverage resources and action for women and children affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO), minimize deaths and injuries, reduce social and economic impacts, and support development in severely contaminated areas of the country through UXO risk education and victim assistance. It will promote the rights of UXO survivors and children affected by UXO through assistance to networks of persons with disabilities.

“This work is every important and promotes children’s rights in Laos particularly, in five target districts of Kaysone, Champhone, Outhoumphone, Songkhone and Sayphouthong in Savannakhet province,” said chair of the meeting, Mr. Phoukhiao Chanthrasomboune.

Additionally, the training is designed for equipping the trainees with knowledge of the collaboration between relevant sectors at all levels.

Mr. Phoukhuil also urged relevant sectors to participate in raising public awareness of the danger of unexploded ordnances and promote preventive measures, especially amongst people at risk such as scavengers and farmers.

Source: KPL Lao News Agency
By Soulaphone Kanyaphim
November 15, 2011

Project to pilot use of vehicles in UXO clearance

The Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS) will begin to use vehicles for unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance for the first time in Laos starting in January.

Mr Phoukhiew Chanthasomboun ( left ) and JMAS representative Mr Junichi Kurokawa shake hands after signing the memorandum of understanding.

The pilot project for mechanical unexploded sub-munitions clearance will be conducted in Xieng Khuang province from January to May.
The Komatsu Company from Japan has provided a vehicle for UXO clearance activities under the project worth about US$1 million through the JMAS.

Last Friday, the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) and JMAS sig ned a memorandum of understanding on US$100,000 worth of funding for the pilot project. Komatsu is also providing funding support for the pilot project.

NRA Director Mr Phoukhiew Chanthasomboun said that many countries use unmanned vehicles in UXO clearance activities, but mostly for mines rather than sub-munitions.

While some countries do use vehicles to clear sub-munitions, there is no reliable data on exactly how effective vehicles are at clearing sub-munitions, he noted.

“We are not sure if vehicles will be effective for UXO clearance in Laos, but the pilot project will provide us with a better idea,” he said.

The Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Pro-gramme (UXO Lao) typically uses 9 to 11 people to clear UXO from one hectare, a process that takes almost two months. UXO Lao also spends between US$1,800 and US$2,500 to clear a hectare of land, depending on the degree of contamination.

According to the NRA, the JMAS began unexploded ordnance clearance activities in Xieng Khuang province in 2006.

The JMAS aims to implement its project activities in cooperation with the government's UXO Lao programme, helping the people of the province to enjoy a safe and peaceful life in a developing environment.
The technical support provided by the organisation helps to build a future for UXO-affected communities by reducing the number of accident victims so that the province can embark on a successful path to development.
Xieng Khuang is one of the most highly UXO-contaminated areas in Laos. Every year more than 50 people are killed or injured by bombs buried in the ground. About 40 percent are children.

However, in Laos the number of UXO casualties is expected to have fallen from over 300 in 2008 to less than 75 a year by 2015. The number of casualties before 2008 is estimated to have averaged 304 per year, while in 2009 and 2010 the figure was less than 117 per year and is estimated to be 87 this year.

Altogether, 98 of the country's 143 districts are contaminated with UXO. Furthermore, 41 of the 45 poorest districts are heavily contaminated, which is hampering development in these areas.

By 2015, Laos aims to clear 12,500 hectares of contaminated land, of which more than 11,800 hectares will be used for agriculture and the other 600 hectares for other forms of development.

More than 28,000 hectares of UXO-contaminated land have been cleared since 1996. By 2020 the country aims to have cleared UXO from 200,000 hectares of land.

It is estimated that out of the 2 million tonnes of bombs, including 288 million cluster bombs, that were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973, about 30 percent did not detonate.

During this time, a total of 580,000 deadly bombing missions were conducted. That averages out at one bombing mission every eight minutes around the clock for nine years.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update November 08, 2011)