05.06.2008
UXO - The aftermath of America’s “Secret War” U.X.O. stands for “UneXploded Ordnance”. Of the estimated 2 million tons of bombs, including 250 million cluster bombs dropped onto Laos between 1964 and 1973, about 30% did not explode! These have killed no less than 13.000 people in Laos in the last 30 years and crippled an even bigger number. The province of Xinuang Khoung, with its capital Phonsavanh, was especially targeted during the bombing raids. The USA suspected this northeastern province to be the hiding place of the communist Pathet Lao. Even though the Geneva Convention declared Laos a neutral country in 1962, this rural peaceful countryside gained the sad reputation of being the most heavily bombed area on this planet during the following decade. Even five years into the bombing, top US politicians, including President Nixon, would deny any knowledge of this massacre on civilians, since it was never officially approved by the American Congress. Hence the name “Secret War”… More bombs were dropped in those 580.000 deadly missions led by the US Air Force on Laos than on Germany and Japan together during World War II. Being a secret war, data on the amount of bombs dropped is incomplete, but 1.36 million metric tons of bombs were acknowledged by the USA in 1994. Two million metric tons of bombs are considered a serious estimate, since some data are still missing. Two aspects made this bombing campaign especially lethal for the civil population. First, since it was no official war, there were no rules of engagement, like in Vietnam, were temples and the civil population theoretically were protected. It was just “bombing as you wish”, targeting a purely civilian population that had nowhere to hide, except a few caves. However, even these became targets. At Tham Piu Cave, 374 people, mainly women and children who had sought shelter from the bombing were killed instantly, when, on the fourth attempt by American planes, a rocket found its way inside. Secondly, the vast majority of the bombs used were cluster bombs. These are heavy bombs, generally 1.000 or 2.000 pounds, which open mid-air and release up to 670 sub munitions also called “bombies” in Laos. It is estimated that up to 30% of the approx. 250 million “bombies” that were dropped never exploded, creating a huge threat for generations to come. During and immediately after the war, the lack of food was equally dramatic: with so many “bombies” littering the ground, a huge part of the cultivable areas could no longer be used, so it became impossible to grow sufficient food. Especially the work in the rice fields turned deadly. But any kind of work, like building a house, could be lethal, not talking about the many “bombies” found by children who had now idea what it was and starting playing with it. |