More than 1,000 years needed to clear all UXO from Laos, say experts

Former Bond-movie girl and top international actress Rosamund Pike backs campaign to clear unexploded bombs in Laos. - Laotian Times

VIENTIANE, Oct 3 (Laotian Times): Local experts estimate that it would take over 1,000 years to clear all unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos at the current clearance rate.

Chomyaeng Phengthongsavath, Director General of the National Regulatory Authority for UXO and Mine Action in Laos (NRA), told the media recently that just one percent of UXOs believed to exist in Laos have been cleared since 1996, while the remaining 99 percent will take 1,860 years to remove at the current rate.