Lao Farmer’s Death Highlights Landmine Danger, Children Among Main Victims 

PHNOM PENH, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The death of a Lao farmer and the injury of his son serve as a grim reminder of the hidden dangers of unexploded landmines in the tiny Southeast Asian nation, a popular tourist destination. 

The farmer, along with his two children, was cutting grass using a petrol-powered mower when he struck an unexploded ordnance (UXO) on his farm in Paksong district, Champasak province, on Aug 13, the Vientiane Times reported on Monday.

According to the report, his daughter Noina was not injured, while his son Billy sustained a minor injury to his forehead and a slight wound to his chest.

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“Unexploded ordnance remains a critical issue in Laos, with deadly devices continuing to threaten civilians in their everyday lives as a result of the legacy of war,” said the English daily. 

The Champasak incident is not an isolated tragedy in the landlocked nation, home to about seven million people. 

According to foreign demining agencies, about 20,000 Laotians could have lost their lives, and 40 per cent of them were children, since the war ended. 

Five decades after the bloody Second Indochina War, also known as the Vietnam War, the Lao people continue to live in fear of the thousands of unexploded ordnance buried in the ground. 

The Lao National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action Sector reported that nine Laotians were killed and 40 injured by unexploded ordnance last year, while in the first two months of this year a further three were killed and six injured.

Alarmingly, 60 per cent of the casualties were children.

The agrarian state, still identified as a Least Developed Country, continues to struggle with unexploded devices.

With the help of the international community, major demining efforts are continuing in Laos, where nearly 70 per cent of the population makes a living through farming, with villagers growing rice, banana, cassava, coffee, and maize to survive.

Between January and June this year, authorities confirmed that 6,984 hectares remain hazardous and about 2,717 hectares across 14 provinces were cleared of the remnants of war, allowing people to safely return to their land. 

A total of 35,446 UXO were destroyed, including over 16,000 cluster munitions this year, said the national regulator. 

During the Indochina War from 1964 to 1973, the American army dropped more than two million tonnes of bombs on Laos, equivalent to about one tonne for every man and woman, making the country the most heavily bombed nation on earth per capita, reported Vientiane Times. 

According to the United States (US) Department of State’s website, the US has spent more than RM1.7 billion (US$391 million) in Laos since 1995 to clear the UXO devices.

Landmine clearance, explosive ordnance risk education, victim and survivor assistance and capacity development were part of its efforts. 

“This life-saving work is making more land safe for agriculture, infrastructure, and tourism, and driving critical economic development across Laos,” said the Department of State. 

-- BERNAMA