UXO Visitor Information Centres in Laos
Did you know Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita? Come to our Visitor Information Centres in Phonsavanh and Vientiane to meet MAG staff and find out more.
Uxo Lao Visitors Centre - Las bombas de Laos
Laos detenta el lamentable record mundial de ser el país más bombardeado de la Historia. La suma de los explosivos lanzados contra Laos supera a la de todos los que se emplearon durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Y de ellas, más de 75 millones, dicen los expertos, quedaron sin explotar, son UXO (unexploded).
La ONG COPE ha creado dos centros en Laos en los que ofrece información sobre la Historia de los bombardeos en el país, los daños causados, y las actuaciones que la organización lleva a cabo en el país para la desactivación de bombas y la ayuda a damnificados.
Por todo ello, la visita al centro UXO Lao resulta más que interesante.
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Best Attractions and Places to See in Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top things you have to do in Vientiane. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Vientiane for You. Discover Vientiane as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Vientiane.
This Video has covered Best Attractions and Things to do in Vientiane.
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List of Best Things to do in Vientiane
COPE Visitor Centre
Wat Si Muang
Wat Si Saket
Great Sacred Stupa (Pha That Luang)
Vat that Khao
Buddha Park
MAG UXO Visitor Centre
Patuxai
Houey Hong Vocational Training Centre for Women
Mekong Riverside Park
Working for a future free of UXO: 20 years of UXO Lao
Lao PDR is one of the most bombed countries in the world, with dangerous unexploded ordnance still threatening lives and increasing the costs of development. With UNDP’s support, the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) has worked for 20 years to clear the bombs, make land safe, and educate people about the risks.
Laos MAG UXO - First Draft
First draft of a video about UXO in Laos
Laos Motorcycle Adventure, Episode #6 - Never Stop Riding
This is the last episode of Laos Bike Adventure - Never Stop Riding. Hope you all had enjoyed the previous episodes and Cambodia Bike Adventure as well.
After waking up at Xieng Khouang, Andy Myers goes to see the Plain of Jars - Site 1. It is not a very tourists place with almost no one there. The Jars are giants pots make of rocks, some of them have lid, some not, and the variation in size is very big. At the Plain of Jars the MAG (Mines Advisory Group) - Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) still cleaning the area from the land mines and recommends to you to stay inside a path that was cleaned already. The Palin of Jar is along the Ho Chi Ninh trail, which was heavily bombed during the Vietnam War. Andy Myers walks thru the jars and bombs crates until arrive on a cave where people was hiding during the war time as planes dropped bombs on it killing almost everyone inside. I the city you can see many bombs shell being used as decoration in restaurants, hotels, etc. ALso you can visit the MAG (Mines Advisory Group) - Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Visitor Information Centre.
After leaving the Jars, Andy Myers goes to check if the bike is ready to ride at the workshop he left the bike on the night before. The bike starts on the first try and it is time to get back to the road. A little bit of riding under the rain, one of his favorite thing, to stop at a top of a hill where there are some restaurants and shops. The view point at the top of the hill where you can see a lot of the amazing landscape of Laos with its many mountains and how it is green the country.
After that Andy Myers gets back to the road, but it start to get dark quick and he stops at the same place from the episode #2 (Vang Vieng) to sleep.
Next day a quick breakfast by the river and paved road towards Vientiane, but before that one more quick stop at a workshop to a quick fix on the bike. After that it is just a great and easy ride to Vientiane to finish this amazing ride.
NEVER STOP RIDING.
redspokes cycling group visit to COPE in Vientiane, Laos..wmv
COPE worker's description to a redspokes cycling group of how so many are maimed by bomblets in Laos. Powerful stuff.
Secret War Secret Slaughter MAG Laos 1995
Lao NEWS on LNTV: Norway provides US$537,000 continues to support of UXO clearance.2/10/2015
VO Norway provides US$537,000 (over 4.3 billion kip) continues to support of UXO clearance
INTRO: Laos continues to make significant progress in its efforts to accurately identify areas of unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination and then prioritise the clearance of these dangerous items.
STORY: The grant of US$537,000 (over 4.3 billion kip) is the first one that the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has received from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help with their work of surveying and clearing in the country.
Country Director of MAG in Laos, Simon Rea said that they will be partnering with Norwegian People Aid to undertake survey and clearance operations in 30 villages in the northern part of Bualapha district, Khammuan province.
This will result in significant amounts of important survey work being carried out in one of the most heavily UXO contaminated districts in the country.
It will also ensure UXO contamination is cleared from Lao government priority development sites within Focal Development Areas.
One more important achievement is that the information gathered as part of the project's implementation will enable MAG and Norwegian People Aid to develop an accurate estimation of the time and resources that will be required to reach an end-state on Bualapha district.
Sadly, 40 years after the end of conflict the negative impacts of UXO contamination are still very prevalent in Laos.
All too often the most vulnerable members of poor rural communities, including children, are involved in UXO accidents.
Families are kept in poverty and food insecurity because they cannot make full productive use of their land. Large scale development projects including construction of vital infrastructure cannot take place.
Around the middle of this year, the governments of the United States of America and the United Kingdom also funded surveys and UXO clearance operations in Xieng Khuang province at a cost of more than US$3.8 million (over 30 billion kip).
The funding supported two projects run by the Mines Advisory Group.
According to the National Regulatory Authority, as of last year more than 55,000 hectares of land had been cleared of UXO since 1996.
Up to 37 percent of the country's total land area, about 87,000 km2, may be contaminated with various types of UXO.
Voices from Laos Tour: Meet Manixia Thor
As a mother and demining technician, Manixia Thor is helping to change the landscape of Laos, one dangerous item at a time. After completing high school in 2007, Manixia joined the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) as a UXO clearance technician. Now aged 24, Manixia has worked her way up to become the Deputy Team Leader of one of MAG's all-female UXO clearance teams, funded by the US Government. She loves working alongside the other women and believes they are shining symbol of the greater changes in current day Laos. Her all-female UXO clearance team has proved to be just as capable if not harder working than the other teams. Occasionally, some men doubt whether women can work as well as them, but Manixia and her team love to prove them wrong!
Manixia says UXO is a particularly big problem for farmers in Xieng Khouang as they are in real danger of being the victim of an UXO every time they go to the fields. Manixia is proud that through her work she is able to make life safer for farmers, their families and other people living in the province so that they can develop and build better futures.
Manixia's family is very much committed to supporting her, looking after her 2 year old son whilst she is working and her husband is the Operations Support Officer, assisting the international technical manager and providing technical support to the UXO clearance teams.
Manixia and her family have a personal experience of the dangers of UXO. Her uncle was involved in an UXO accident 15 years ago, losing one of his hands. Part of her motivation to come and work for MAG is to be able to help ensure that such things do not happen to others in the future.
Lao NEWS on LNTV: UXO Lao will face shortages in funding and contributions.4/8/2014
VO UXO Lao will face shortages in funding and contributions towards their work of clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO)
INTRO: Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme or UXO Lao will face shortages in funding and contributions towards their work of clearing unexploded ordnance contaminated areas of land by the end of this year. Official said, the lack of funding to operate UXO clearance will affect the three provinces of Huaphan, Luang Prabang and Khammuan, as well as works at the UXO Lao headquarters in Vientiane
STORY: Minister to the Prime Minister's Office and Chairman of the National Regulatory Authority, Bounheuang Douangphachanh made the announcement at the accession of the Entry into Force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions' fourth anniversary in Vientiane on Friday the 1st of August that, If there is not enough finance to support these provinces, they will have to stand down their operations and this will have significant impact on the provinces' implementation of their Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 9 targets.
He said the Lao government was fairly sure that if they continued to use the current level of resources, labour and technology, they would not achieve the target set for MDG 9 or the obligations made in the Oslo Convention.
He warned that UXO Lao employees will be made redundant, which will consequently lead to negative impacts on their livelihoods.
Bounheuang Douangphachanh said that , “ He would like to urge various donors to please take into account the support needed for UXO Lao and other UXO operators facing the same situation. Hope the international community and civil societies will continue to strongly support Laos in addressing the country's UXO problem.
It is disclosed that, the two provinces of Huaphan and Luang Prabang would have no money to continue their works starting this month.
Almost 20 organisations from international agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sectors and UXO Lao have been contributing to the effort in clearing UXO from the county. Around 7,000 hectares of land has been cleared in a year.
To date, a total of 113 countries have signed the treaty, with 84 states ratifying it since the Oslo Convention came into being as international law on August 1, 2010.
Some 40 years after the war ended, cluster munitions and other explosives have been obstacles when building infrastructure and implementing other socio-economic development efforts.
Up to 37 percent of the country's area, approximately some 87,000 km2 may be contaminated by various types of UXO.
Based on the bombing data records, the area of land contaminated with cluster munitions is estimated at about 8,470 km2.
With support from the international community and many generous countries, the work done by Laos to address the UXO problem has been running smoothly.
Since September last year to June 2014, the country has cleared 4,958 hectares of land and has destroyed 72,346 UXO items. This includes 43,897 cluster munitions, 263 big bombs, 73 mines and 28,113 other UXO items.
The Unexploded Bombs of Laos
During the Vietnam war the U.S. Airforce dropped over 2 million tons of explosives on the neutral country of Laos. Over 30% of the bombs that were dropped didn't explode. Today, hundreds of Laotians die from these leftover bombs. I traveled to Laos to make a short documentary, looking to spread awareness about the crisis. I believe the United States has a moral obligation to help rid the country of these bombs. This documentary explains what reparations are being made by the U.S., to help Laos cope with this issue. If you would like to donate to one of the many aid agencies working to address the UXO (unexploded ordinance) problem in Laos, I recommend donating to one of the following organizations: Cope, The Halo Trust, The Mines Advisory Group or Norwegian People's Aid
Lao NEWS on LNTV: Khammuan reviews progress in UXO clearance.4/7/2016
VO Khammuan reviews progress in UXO clearance
INTRO: The Khammuan Province's Deputy Governor, Khamsy Outhivong, who is heading clearance operations, says Although much progress has been made in clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO), a huge number of cluster bombs still remain in Khammuan province, hindering development
STORY: The Khammuan Province's Deputy Governor, Khamsy Outhivong, who is heading clearance operations reviews progress in UXO clearance on Tuesday when NRA staff teamed up with international organisations to inspect the progress of UXO clearance in Khammuan province
According to him, Khammuan was one of the worst hit provinces during the Indochina War, with Bualapha, Yommalath, Nakai, Xaybuathong and Mahaxay districts suffering severe bombardment by enemy aircraft. Most of the UXO devices have been found in Bualapha district.
Director General of the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the UXO/Mine Action sector in Laos, Mr Phoukhieo Chanthasomboun, confirmed that Khammuan is one of the worst affected provinces in Laos. He said, UXO is a barrier to the development of Laos. Every couple of months I receive information about a device that has exploded
It is reported that, from 1999 to 2015, the authorities worked with international organisations to clear UXO on 2,535 hectares of agricultural land. Some 74,365 cluster munitions have been destroyed in addition to 1,221 larger bombs, 42,456 bombies, 70 mines, and 30,618 other devices.
Provincial records show that from 1999-2016, 41 people have been killed and 59 injured in UXO-related accidents.
However, the number of victims is now declining because the authorities are running a campaign on the dangers of UXO among people in high-risk areas.
At present, clearance work is concentrated on removing devices from agricultural land and potential development sites.
One of the major challenges for the government is sourcing funding for clearance operations. We must continue to mobilise funds because the budget allocated to victim assistance is very limited at present.
Five years ago, Laos was receiving US$7-8 million a year for UXO operations but since 2011 we've been getting about US$30 million a year. In the next five years, we are planning to mobilise US$170 million for land surveys, clearance, awareness-raising programmes and victim assistance.
Laos is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in history. Over 50,000 people have been injured or killed since 1964 in UXO-related incidents, mostly involving cluster munitions.
HKYOYOWING present: Play Yoyo Everywhere Chapter 8 - Laos(Part 2)
#老撾 篇Part 2, 今次Yoyo Wing 去到老撾 (#寮國）的東北方，也是秘密戰爭(1953-1975)的重災區之一。當年美國空軍和皇家寮國空軍空襲而遺留下來的未爆炸彈藥仍影響著老撾的發展給人民的生活。
於 #ViengXai Caves 、 #豐沙灣（#Phonsavan) 的MAG UXO Visitor Information Centre 、 #永珍 （#Vientiane) 的COPE Visitor Centre ，大家可以了解到戰爭為老撾帶來多嚴重的影響。
雖然這裡不是大熱景點，但個人來說來到老撾 西北，親身了解未爆炸彈（UXO)，是我這次老撾 之旅最難忘的事。
旅行，有時不是只是尋開心。
以下是我在老撾頭10日所拍攝的影片，希望大家喜歡~
by HKYoyoWing - Play Yoyo EveryWhere
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Yoyo Wing 著作: 《貼地慢遊東南亞》現已有售！
不坐飛機，怎樣可以由新加坡回到香港？
三十歲人，為什麼還要學人辭職去旅行？
去旅行，就一定要好有錢？
《貼地慢遊東南亞》記錄了Yoyo Wing花超過一年時間，以水路及陸路暢遊東南亞七國的故事，當中包括新加坡、馬來西亞、泰國、緬甸、老撾、柬埔寨和越南，期間還因意外兼遊汶萊。
慢慢行動，慢慢旅活，省錢之餘心靈更富足。
書內除了有詳細的陸路及水路過境資料，還記錄了Yoyo Wing
計劃時的猶豫、實踐後的興奮；
面對歷史的沉重、發現美景的感動；
遭受欺騙的失望、結識朋友的喜悅；
遇上困難的不安，完成目標的滿足......
無論你是否嚮往背包旅遊，是否正在計劃遠行，我希望藉著這次回家的經歷，感動每一位平凡的都巿人 。
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其他朋友
可於 YesAsia.com 網購 / inbox 我
謝謝大家支持!
買了書的朋友，期待你們的讀後感啊!
寫書不易，但Promotion書更難，希望大家支持支持~
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可能有不少朋友新Like這個page, 介紹一吓這個page先~
我在澳洲賣藝 x 工作假期的故事:
回港工作2年後，我又再辭職去旅行:
我的成長故事:
第一站 - 台灣:
第二站 - 新加坡
第三站 - 馬來西亞(Part 1)
馬來西亞(Part 2)
第三。五站: 汶萊
第四站: 泰國
第五站: 緬甸:
第六站: 斯里蘭卡
第七站: 印度
第八站: 老撾
第九站: 柬埔寨
第十站: 越南
我的Play Yoyo Everywhere Video:
Facebook Page
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Clearing the bombs in Laos
It’s known as U-X-O – unexploded ordnance…the bombs, mortars, artillery shells, and above all cluster munitions that the United States dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War…and that failed to detonate. The U-S dropped around 270 million anti-personnel cluster munitions with the aim of stopping Vietcong troops and arms from moving through Laos. An estimated 30 per cent of them never exploded, and continue to maim and kill people there. The U-S government has now pledged an additional 90 million dollars over three years to help finally clean up this deadly mess. But experts say it could still take decades. Rian Maelzer (PRON. RYAN MELT-zer) visited the most heavily bombed area of Laos.
Radio Interview with Mr Edwin Faigmane, Technical Advisor, UXO Lao Part 2/2
Date: 23 Feb 2011
Place: ANZ Building, Vientiane, Laos
Themes:
Clarity by John Mayer
Smoking Kills Plug produced by the UPLB Jocks circa 2008
Invest in Mind Plug produced by DZLB FM