During the Vietnam war, the United States carried out 580,000 bombing missions over Laos, a neutral country in the Vietnam War. The bombings started in 1964. For nine years, Laos sustained an average of one bombing mission every eight minutes (24 hours a day). Each mission dropped countless cluster bombs that were designed to split open midair and release hundreds of tennis ball-sized submunitions called “bombies”. Shrapnel would fly when the bombies exploded on impact. The United States would rain more than 270 million bombies on Laos during those nine years.

America’s Secret War

The U.S. bombed the northern part of Laos because it was the stronghold of the communist party, Pathet Lao. Pathet Lao was fighting a civil war with the royal government of Laos which the U.S. supported. The U.S. also bombed along Laos’ border with Vietnam because it wanted to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Vietnamese communist army used this route to transport weapons and fighters between north and south Vietnam (through Laos and Cambodia). And sometimes, the U.S. bombed Laos because the pilots couldn’t find their intended targets in Vietnam; since landing a plane loaded with bombs back at the American base was just too dangerous, they dropped them on Laos. This is America’s Secret War in Laos.

30% Failed to Detonate

It is estimated that about 80,000,000 of the 270,000,000 bombies (30%) failed to detonate. Out of sight, but not out of commission, these bombies continue to kill and maim the Lao people to this day. A father who made a fire with just enough intensity to warm his family up during the winter in the home he’s lived in his whole life; a mother who had cooked a thousand meals outdoors that barely filled the family’s stomachs; a farmer who would rather strike gold instead of a bombie with his hoe; a child who would play with any object especially one that resembles a ball; and a child that scoured the land for scrap metal for money are among the 30,000 that have been killed in Laos by UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) since the conflict ended in 1973. Because of the UXO, the Lao people are exiled from their own fertile land, keeping those especially in rural areas hungry and poor. In Vientiane, we visited COPE and a few days later MAG. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people affected by UXO.

COPE, Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise

COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) helps “people with mobility-related disabilities, including UXO survivors, access prosthetic and orthotic services”. Representatives go to villages to take measurements to make prosthetics for amputees who have lost their limbs to UXO or other accidents, and those born without. When the prosthetics are ready, the patients and their families are transported to the clinic for fitting. A visit by the COPE team makes a big difference to small villages where people not only have to, for lack of a better phrase, pull their own weight but also contribute to their family and neighbors. Each new limb allows the patient to reclaim a small shred of dignity and independence, alleviating the financial and manual burden on their families.

MAG, Mines Advisory Group

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) “removes unexploded landmines and bombs from land and destroys them, making it safe for communities to grow food crops, access water sources, and carry out housing, education, health and other infrastructure projects”. In Laos, MAG shares the workload with other international organizations. They are responsible for clearing UXO in Xieng Khouang and Khammouane provinces. Teams of technicians systematically survey the villages, and either declare the area clear, or secure it for controlled explosion if UXO is detected. As of January 2017, MAG has removed and destroyed more than 211,000 items of UXO, including nearly 90,000 bombies. Too bad, there are 80 million of them.

Kenric and I really appreciate the work these two organizations do. They directly help the people who are truly innocent from being victimized again. Slowly, their efforts help the locals reclaim their fertile arable land, and go about their daily activities without worrying if a bombie will kill them that day, or worse, leave them maimed or blind.

Please Donate

If you know someone who will benefit from donating to these worthy causes, let them know about these two organizations. Thank you.
COPE – copelaos.org
MAG – www.maginternational.org (donations are tax deductible in the U.S.),

Map of Places Visited