Laos ordnance disposal money may shrink
The official end of a conflict leaves a country with obvious physical scars, from devastating death tolls to levelled landscapes. But a war’s effect on a country evolves. In Indochina, casualties continue because of unexploded remnants of war.
Efforts to remove these weapons have gone on for decades and carry numerous expenses including landscape surveys, detection equipment, safety gear and medical teams.
Financing the removal of landmines and other unexploded ordnance, also known as ‘mine action,’ is a cornerstone of United States foreign policy in Indochina, especially in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, which were left riddled with the weapons following American military campaigns.
ANTON L. DELGADO
