A struggle to clear unexploded bombs

On the first day of his two-day trip to Laos, President Barack Obama pledged $90 million (80 million euros) over the next three years to address the impact caused by unexploded ordnance in the country.

This is the maiden visit by an American president to the landlocked Southeast Asian nation, which was heavily bombarded by US forces during the Vietnam War. Laos became the world's most-bombed nation per capita from 1964 to 1973 as Washington launched a secret CIA-led war to cut supplies flowing to communist fighters in Vietnam at that time.

And much of the country is still littered with ordnance, including millions of cluster munitions that maim and kill to this day. Over the last 20 years, the US has contributed over $100 million to support programs aimed at clearing the unexploded bombs and these projects have helped reduce casualties from over 300 per year to fewer than 50.

In a DW interview, Channapha Khamvongsa, a Laos-American campaigner whose group Legacies of War has long lobbied Washington to spend more on bomb clearances, talks about the impact the unexploded bombs continue to have on the people in the country and the steps that are being taken to resolve the problem.

DW: For nine years spanning the 1960s and 70s, the US bombed Laos, and five years of that bombing campaign was part of a "secret war," which even the US Congress was unaware of. Could you give us an idea of the scale of that campaign?

Channapha Khamvongsa: The bombing campaign started in 1964 and ended in 1973. During this nine-year period, two million tons of bombs were dropped, amounting on average to the dropping of a planeload of bombs every eight minutes over nine years.

How is that bombing affecting life in Laos today, some 40 years after the commencement of the bombardments?

The bombing, which in itself was severe and bad enough, also left a dangerous legacy in the form of unexploded bombs. They have remained a threat to the lives of the people of Laos even over 40 years later.

About 270 million cluster munitions were dropped on Laotian villages at that time. As these weapons had a very high defective rate, over 30 percent of them never exploded, leaving behind some 80 million unexploded bombs that contaminate much of the land in Laos.

In the years since the end of the war, over 20,000 people have been either killed or maimed by the munitions.

The most recent incident just happened at the end of August, when five children were involved in an accident. So even decades after the bombing ended, they continue to kill and hurt Laotian people, and 40 percent of the victims are children.

How are the unexploded munitions hindering the development of Laos?

The areas that are most heavily contaminated by the unexploded bombs are also the poorest areas in the country, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The munitions hinder farming, thus obstructing the people's ability to grow their food.

Around 80 percent of the population of Laos depends upon farming for their livelihood. That's how they subsist and feed their families. But as a result of the bombs, they are either unable to use their land or if they use it, they put their lives at risk on a daily basis.

What is actually being done to clear the country of unexploded bombs?

Various programs to clear Laos of undetonated bombs have been put in place since 1996. Prior to that, when people came across these bombs, they had to clear them by themselves and it was extremely dangerous. But since 1996, bomb disposal teams comprising of experts have been put in place and they are able to detect the bombs, clear and detonate them, thus making the land safer for the people.

Who is paying for that effort? How is it funded?

There are many donors, including the US, which is now one of the largest contributors - if not the largest at this point. But the donor list also includes European countries, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, among other nations.

At the current rate of clearing, how long would it take to essentially have Laos cleared of those unexploded ordnance?

It is estimated that of the 80 million undetonated bombs, only about one percent have been cleared. And we, therefore, have a long way to go. But we first want to clear the land that is used by people to live and farm of unexploded bombs. We want to do it by being able to better understand the contamination caused by these munitions and by targeting areas that are most useful for the people. Nevertheless, the reality is that with millions and millions of munitions scattered all over the country, some areas might never be cleared of the bombs.

Channapha Khamvongsa is founder and executive director of the Washington-based NGO Legacies of War.