Norway extends support for UXO clearance

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to assist Laos in unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey and clearance with the Mines Advisory Group in Laos (MAG Laos) receiving 6 million Norwegian krone (about US$627,000) for a 12-month project in Khammuan province.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between the National Regulatory Authority for UXO Mine Action Sector in the Lao PDR (NRA) and MAG Laos was held yesterday at the NRA office in Vientiane.
Director General of NRA, Mr Chomyaeng Phengthongsavat and Country Director of MAG Laos, Mr Bill Marsden signed the agreement, witnessed by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, and local authorities from Khammuan province.
With the grant, MAG Laos will conduct a technical survey over six square kilometres, and UXO clearance on 816,000 square metres of land in the province’s Buarapha district.
According to a press release from MAG Laos, the grant will also support a roving team, which responds to reports of UXO found in the community and ensures its quick and safe destruction.
MAG Laos has received funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for UXO survey and clearance activities in Khammuan province since 2015.
Per capita, Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world. Throughout the Second Indochina War (1964-1973), over 2 million tonnes of ordnance were dropped on Laos, of which 30 percent failed to explode.
Over 270 million cluster munitions were released from enemy aircraft, leaving an estimated 80 million live bomblets (bombies) scattered and buried around the country.
It is estimated that at least 2,000 square kilometres of land still needs to be cleared as UXO continues to contaminate vast areas of the country, lying in forests, farmlands, villages, school grounds, roads and other populated areas.
“The extent of UXO contamination impacts on the overall development of the country. Communities in remote rural areas are not only living with the daily fear of UXO on their land but suffer from the wider result of UXO contamination, which limits access to basic services,” Mr Marsden said.
He said this was the fifth phase and fifth year of support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and MAG Laos has used this to support the clearance of UXO in Khammuan province.
From 2015 to February 2019, MAG Laos conducted technical surveys in Thongkham, Phone, Nahom, Nachat, That, Langkhang, Phanob and Nongbua villages. MAG Laos has added Kayou and Sa-Ang to the focus of work for this year.
According to MAG Laos’ analysis in Buarapha, there are over 100 bombing records per square kilometre in some areas of the district and over 50 in other areas.

By Somxay Sengdara
(Latest Update January 31, 2020)