PHNOM PENH: A senior Lao official has warned that an estimated 80 million unexploded munitions remain buried across Laos, while cuts in international funding could slow clearance work and prolong the threat to civilian lives.
The National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action official Bounpheng Sisavath said more than a million of the deadly remnants had been cleared after decades of efforts to rid Laos of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
"You could say there is still a great deal remaining. Some items are on the surface, while others are buried as deep as five to six metres underground. This makes clearance difficult and requires trained teams and specialised methods, Bounpheng told the Vientiane Times in an interview..
"But changing global and regional conditions are affecting funding for UXO work. Some countries have reduced or stopped assistance as they shift resources towards their own new priorities.”
For more than five decades, the landlocked country, which relies heavily on agriculture and tourism, has been grappling with the legacy of UXO and landmines.
About 580,000 bombing missions were carried out over Laos between 1964 and 1973, with more than two million tonnes of ordnance dropped during the Indochina War.
About 270 million cluster submunitions, commonly known as "bombies”, were dropped, with an estimated 30 per cent failing to explode, he said, according to the newspaper.
The unexploded devices remain scattered across the country, posing a lethal threat to communities and hindering rural development, while farmers and children remain vulnerable.
During the first eight months of this year, clearance teams neutralised more than 49,000 UXO items, according to the National Regulatory Authority.
In March, demining experts discovered nine aerial bombs along the Sekong River in Sekong Province in southeastern Laos.
The bombs were subsequently destroyed in controlled detonations.
"Most accidents occur when people burn land, dig the ground, clear land or handle unexploded devices. Children are particularly at risk when they find cluster munitions and play with them or try to dismantle them,” Bounpheng reportedly said.
Laos is hosting the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane from Sept 14 to 18, highlighting the threats posed by cluster munitions and efforts to eliminate them. - Bernama
