Laos destroys 1.7 million UXO devices between 1996 and 2021

A young Laotian member of UXO Lao methodically runs his metal detector over a plot marked out for clearance.

VIENTIANE (Xinhua): Nearly 1.7 million unexploded ordnance (UXO) items had been destroyed by clearance teams in Laos from 1996 to Dec 31, 2021, while over 71,000 hectares of land were cleared of munitions.

The figures were released at a consultation meeting on the Draft Unexploded Ordnance National Strategic Plan in Laos "Safe Path Forward III" for 2021-2030, which took place in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday (Feb 28).